Dog Eat Dog World
by houseofnightfanclub
Summary: The world has ended as we know it. A terrible disease has infected most of the population, turning them into vampire-like creatures, savages... There are only a few humans left that are hunted for their blood. Abby and her friends are some of the remaining humans, but what happens when they save and take in a mysterious boy from a peculiar vampire attack. Can they really trust him?
1. Chapter 1

**New story! Please read and review, letting me know if this is worth continuing or not.. just a heads up the prologue is in third person but most of the story will be in first and occasionally switch back to different character's third person.**

**i hope you guys like this.. you may know my other fics: _Hunter and the Hunted_ and _Door to the Night_. i hope you like this one just as much. i have some pretty interesting ideas for this :)**

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Prologue:

Isaac woke up to whispering, but he didn't open his eyes. He only breathed in and out. He had to constantly remind himself. _Breathe in. Breathe out. Keep control. Breathe in. Don't breathe in their scent. Breathe out. _He had spent so long training for this; he couldn't afford to cave within the first few seconds.

"Was he bit?" A young man questioned. His voice was low and condescending. His voice sounded far away.

"No." This was a girl's voice, soft and gentle. Isaac could tell she was close. Not only could Isaac feel the heat radiating from her skin and breath, but he could also hear her blood rushing, just inches under the surface of her skin: warm, fresh blood. Isaac thought his lips curled into a snarl, ready to bite, but it was his imagination. This was harder than he originally planned.

Isaac could feel that he was on a hard metal table. From the way the human voices were echoing and the way the lights were buzzing, he guessed he was in an infirmary. _Good, this is where I should be._

He heard a door swing open and then close again. "Still not up yet?" This was another boy, but his voice was much softer than the other boy's, like he was genuinely concerned for Isaac.

It made perfect sense why they were concerned. Isaac and his clan choreographed the fight. It was planned that he would hit his head. Of course, Isaac was already healed and fully aware, but no human should be awake yet. A head injury was the best, right in the hair. An actual wound was hard to find and so was bruising, and it offered the best opportunity to lure the humans to help him. _Humans and their_ _emotions… _Isaac thought, _pathetic._

He heard something get tossed across the room and into the hands of the girl that was close to him. Seconds later there was an icy chill on his skull. He flinched. He wasn't expecting them to touch him, at least not when he was 'asleep'. They would know he had been awake and aware. Isaac tried to correct his foolish mistake.

Quickly his checked and made sure his canines weren't pointed and could only hope his eyes weren't blood red and he 'woke up'. His eyes shot open and he gasped for air, sitting up. The girl next to him was holding a bag of ice and looked startled.

"It's okay," she reached out for his arm. "You're safe here." She looked back at the boys who sat behind her. "We're humans, just like you." She gave a warm smile. Isaac had to admit she was beautiful. Her hair was almost white—bleach blonde—and fell in soft curled wisps. She had it tucked behind her ears. She had a round face and full, dark pink lips. Her skin, although somewhat burned, was flawless and she had deep blue eyes. She was wearing a lavender tank top that had a few ripped holes at the hems.

Isaac had to focus again. _Breathe. Remember to breathe. _

One of the boys that had talked earlier was leaning against a counter with his arms crossed, his lips pursed to one side, giving Isaac a "once-over". He had a grey shirt that had dirt stains on and black pants with black combat boots. Hung around his neck was a silver chain with some sort of whistle on the end. Holstered around his belt was a knife. His long legs were crossed and on his left hand there was a tan leather glove that covered up to his forearm and there were scratches on it. His hair was straight and brown and just barely covered his dirty forehead.

The other boy's expressions weren't so harsh. _This boy, will be the target, _Isaac thought. _He is weaker than the others._ The boy was sitting in a metal folding chair backwards. His expressions weren't as harsh as the other boy's. His head was laying on his arms, which were folded on the backrest. He had similar attire to the other boy. Mostly black. His hair was black too apart from one vertical strip of white that spread into his fohawk. He also had piercings up his ears and a tattoo that curled around his neck. He looked more intrigued by Isaac's presence than scared.

"It's okay," the blonde girl repeated. She reached out to gently touch Isaac's arm, but he flinched away. They couldn't feel his skin; it would give him away.

She didn't try any harder and let him be. "You're safe now. You should consider yourself lucky," she smiled as if telling a joke. "Those vampires almost got you."

. . .

Chapter 1:

I remember when the world ended as I knew it. I dream about it every night—no, I don't _dream_—I have _nightmares_ about it…

"Melody, your dress is so beautiful! You're so beautiful!" People said the same things over and over as they walked by my sister. I didn't want to steal her spotlight or anything, but I wanted at least one person to tell the bridesmaid she looked beautiful too, I mean I spent over $100 to look good today for God's sake.

Melody would just politely reply "thank you" or look at Chris, her new husband. Sometimes they would kiss and I would look away and at the beautiful venue instead. We were at a golf course outside and under a tent. Supporting the giant white tent were poles disguised as birch trees. Candles were lit everywhere and the tablecloths were green with lavender accoutrements. Sometimes I would take off my annoying heels and let the smooth grass comfort them. It was a chilly fall day but the with all of the people, it warmed the place up in more ways than one.

"I'll be right back," I told Melody. "I'm going to see what they have at the bar inside." I joked. Melody didn't care about underage drinking and she just winked at me. Of course, I lied, but she didn't know that. Actually, I was freezing and I went and sat by one of the giant stone fireplaces inside. I pulled out my shawl and my phone and started mindlessly surfing the web, but then I heard a scream. More screams, _panicked _screams. I looked up to see what was going on but someone shut the doors and locked them.

My feet were frozen and I couldn't move. Banging savagely at the glass was a man in a tux, splattered with blood that had dripped down his chin. He had pointed fangs and dark, scarlet irises. The whites of his eyes were no longer white, but black. he was hissing and growling like an animal. He started pounded harder and clawing at the glass on the doors, drooling as he did so, and it started fracturing in small spider web-like patterns. Someone pulled my arm. "Abby!" they yelled. "Abby!" they screamed.

"_Abby_?"

I woke up. Staring at me from one of the rolling chairs was Dominic. "You had the dream again, didn't you?"

"No," I lied.

"Don't lie to me," he raised a dark eyebrow and smiled. Dominic had become my best friends here. We shared the same interests and we offered to watch security footage all night—mostly because we were the only "techies" left. All that time spent together and we knew each other almost better than we knew ourselves.

"What gave me away?" I stretched out my arms and took my feet off of the control panel. My blonde hair felt like it was a mess and I irritably pushed it behind my ears. I would kill for running water right now.

Before Dominic could answer there was a loud band outside. We both instantly stiffened. "Sounded like that came from the southern corridor." He started typing furiously on one of the many keyboards here. This control room was his baby. He had found everything and wired it all himself. It was pretty amazing and I loved it.

He found the camera that watched the southern corridor. Nothing. No movement. He typed in the code for the southern _entrance_. Bingo.

The southern entrance was our main entrance and it had a large garage-like door that was impenetrable to any monster that tried to get in, just like the rest of the building. Yet, there they were: vampires. There were four of them, red-eyed and hissing and something at the ground—not something—some_one_.

"What's going on?" Orion dashed into the room. He knew exactly where to be to know what was going on.

"Looks like there's a fight outside." Dominic typed away, making the camera zoom in. "Relax, cowboy," From the corner of Dominic's eye he could see Orion reach for his knife. I cracked a smile and rolled my eyes, _Orion and his testosterone. "_They're not trying to get inside. They're just looking for blood. The guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They think this place is abandoned." Dominic's eyes never left the screen as he explained.

We watched the screen together. There were four vampires attacking one human. Somehow, with a series of kicks, punches and dodges the guy managed to hold his own. He knew what he was doing. "Should we go help him?" I thought out loud. I hadn't realized I spoke until Orion responded.

"You're kidding right? If we open the door those vamps will get inside." He pointed at the screen.

"But they are going to kill him. Look, he's already starting to struggle," I stared at the screen and my heart dropped. One of the vampires took the boy by the throat, whispered something and threw him against the metal door. I wish we never got rid of that microphone.

_Bang! _The entrance closest to us rattled.

My legs started moving before I had time to second guess myself. I grabbed a weapon before I started opening the door and waited for the monsters to come, but they never did. It was almost sunrise. They had run off. They cared more about surviving than a midnight snack.

I scampered and knelt cautiously next to the boy who had been attacked and carefully lifted his eyelids. His eyes were hazel. "He's human!" I yelled, holstering my knife away.

Dominic and Orion were by my now and helped carry the human boy into the infirmary. He sure was some lucky bastard.

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**most of the chapters will be longer than this one... PLEASE REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! it's most important to review on the first chapter so i know whether or not to continue.. :) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**


	2. Chapter 2

**so here's the second chapter. please spread the word about this story, it would be awesome.**

**in case you're curious, i picture Abby as the girl in the icon for this story, and Isaac as daniel sharman.**

**sorry this took so long to post. i'll try to get better.**

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Chapter 2:

"Where am I?" The boy asked, his eyes darted around the room and then to Dominic, Orion, and I. He was sitting up on the silver table where we had laid him down and he was leaning back on his hands. He ran a pale hand thru his curling, soft, brown hair. As if in pain, he closed his eyes tightly and bit his lower lip.

I didn't respond to his question because I wasn't sure what to call this place. A Sanctuary? A Camp? A Faction? A safe haven?

"This building is made entirely out of cement; the doors are impenetrable metal. It's soundproof. It's completely safe from the monsters. We're all humans here." I heard Dominic speak from behind me. "You're safe," he repeated my words. He was sitting backwards in a chair. Orion was standing behind him, leaning against a counter, sneering. He was never particularly nice to strangers. Well, he had the right to be suspicious, especially in today's world, but the new boy was different.

"Humans? How many?" the boy questioned. He had naturally arched eyebrows that gave him a questioning look all the time, but now he actually looked confused as his eyebrows creased together.

"80…maybe more," I guessed. I was never very good with numbers.

Orion snapped then. He stopped leaning against the counter and threw his arms out. "Why are you telling him that? We don't even know who he is! We can't be telling him our secrets."

"Don't act like he's not here." I snapped back. I looked at the boy now, his golden, green eyes looked at me. "What's your name?" I asked with a smile.

He took a deep, centering, breath. "I—Isaac." He looked around inspecting the room. Isaac didn't look scared, but as if he were assessing where everything was and how it worked. His thick eyebrows were still pinched together.

"Are you hungry?" I asked abruptly.

Isaac's mouth twitched up in the corner making a dimple appear. "Yes, I'm very hungry."

I smiled. "Great! I'll show you to the cafeteria."

His smile widened; it reminded me of a cat. "Great," he said.

Dominic took the lead and opened the door for Isaac. Orion and I hung out in the back. "I'm Dominic," he jerked his chin back in our direction. "They call me Domino sometimes. You know, the hair, and I'm spotted with tattoos, like a domino."

Dominic laughed awkwardly as he waited for Isaac to respond, but all Isaac gave him was a grunt, which I'm assuming was guy-code for 'okay'. Dominic's smile faded a little bit too; he was expecting a smile or laugh from Isaac that never came. "The little blondie is Abby. And the asshole is Orion." Dominic continued, but Issac kept his eyes forward, looking at the hallway and all of the doors. I also he noticed he was clenching his fists. Okay, I admit, sometimes Dominic got under my skin, but never enough for me to act like that, like I wanted to hit him. "Orion is his last name," Dominic continued, "but we use it as his nickname because he's our hunter. Get it?" Dominic still tried to get Isaac to acknowledge him and elbowed him in the ribs. "You know because of the constellation: Orion the hunter."

"Yeah, I get it." Isaac said monotonously.

Orion leaned close to me, touching my shoulder and whispered. "When do you think Domino will get the hint that the new kid isn't into guys?"

I shot Orion a look, wishing he would shut up, but he gave me a cocky smile back, which always made me smile in return. He and I have always had this fling thing between us. We both liked each other, we kissed, but we never took it much further—correction—_I_ never took it much further. I don't want to loose someone. I don't want my heart broken because the person I loved died. This world is too dangerous. I've lost enough people already. Yet at the same time, I want someone that will help me heal. Long story short: it's complicated, very, very, complicated.

"What are those?" Isaac asked now that we were closing in on the cafeteria. He pointed at our lock pads. It was a dial pad from an old telephone that was now used to open and lock the main vicinities: cafeteria, boys' quarters, girls' quarters, and showers.

"We use them to lock our doors." Dominic punched in the four-digit code quickly. Each number gave off a different tone, but it seemed monotonic because he punched it so quickly. "Each area has a different code, so if there was ever an attack, the attacker would have to know each different code. Another safety precaution." He shrugged his shoulders. Dominic had come up with the idea of the pad locks, and he always thought it was a great idea. In a way he was trying to show off for Isaac. I laughed a little.

Dominic held the metal door open for all of us and locked it again once we were all inside.

The upper level of the cafeteria always reminded me of my college track and field building. The lower level was flat apart from the picnic tables and the upper level wrapped around the room, like a track.

I put my hands on the cold metal railing and leaned on it slightly. I tried not to look over; I always got headaches from looking at heights.

"So this is the cafeteria," I spoke up. People were eating breakfast at this time so most of the seats were full and the hard walls amplified their voices. "Come on," I called, "let's get some food."

Isaac nodded his head as he continued to look over the railing. His knuckles were white as he gripped the metal. _He must be afraid of heights too. _

He followed us silently down the stairs and up to the food bar. I grabbed a tray and food: some toast, an apple and milk. "Everything we eat, we make by ourselves. In the back we have a few chickens, cows, pigs, and we have a farm. Our cooks are awesome; we're really lucky." I was making myself hungry by describing all of the food and my stomach growled.

Isaac laughed at that like he was laughing at his own joke and mumbled, "Yeah, you are."

After we all got our food, we found an open table and sat town. Dominic, Orion, and I all dug into our food, but Isaac stared at his hesitantly. "It's okay," I said with a mouthful of food. "We grow it ourselves, remember. It's safe. It's not infected." I took another bite of my apple.

No matter how many times I hear it, Lucile's caws will always make me jump. Starting from the rafters, the giant white and black goshawk swooped down and landed on the table next to Orion. She cawed loudly again. He smiled and gave her a piece of his ham. She took it gently in her curved, razor sharp beak and gobbled it down. "Good girl," he said and petted her feathers. I remember one time I tried doing the same thing and she pecked at my hand. I guess she thought that there was only one girl in Orion's life.

The hawk perched on Orion's shoulder and tilted he head as she inspected the new boy.

"What's that?" Isaac asked eyeing the bird and Lucile cawed again.

"She's my hunting falcon. When we go out, she's our eye in the sky; if anything is out there, she'll come back and warn us." Orion explained with an edge in his voice. "She's spectacularly smart."

As if to show off, Lucile stretched out her spotted wings and cawed one more time before flying away again.

"Interesting," Isaac commented as he watched the falcon fly away. "So what do you do when you go out?"

"We hunt the monsters." Orion said curtly.

"Do you ever catch any?" Isaac question.

"Some, but we _kill_ them, we don't _catch_ them."

There was a silence after that as we finished out food. Everyone else kept to himself, but I watched Isaac. He picked at his food, not really eating it. He picked up his glass of milk and sniffed it, disgusted. After what looked like an internal debate, he took a sip, choking on its contents. Orion looked at Isaac with a lifted eyebrow, Dominic looked similarly confused. "Sorry," Isaac said, putting the glass down. "I just haven't had much to eat lately. It's hard going down."

"What were you doing before you came here?" I asked.

"I hid in the farming building. Where they keep the humans."

"How did you survive?" Dominic asked, leaning forward.

"They can hear and smell humans, so when I hid underground, they confused my scent and heartbeat with the captured humans. It was safe there."

"If it was so safe then why did you leave?" Orion interrogated.

"One of them found me. I was half asleep too, you know because of the reversed sleeping schedules, and I heard banging at the door. I knew one of them had found me because it was growling and hissing behind the door. I grabbed a knife and ran. A few picked up on my scent after I left and tracked me out here. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew that coming out here, in the desert… I knew they would follow me and they would burn as soon as the sun came up. I thought it was safe."

"That's why we chose this building too." I smiled. "It's hard to hide from the sun in the desert."

"It sure is." Isaac agreed. "I didn't even know this building was here, that _you_ were here. I guess I just hoped you were. I just hoped I would survive."

"We all hope we'll survive." I said quietly. Isaac looked at me and for the first time he showed something close to sorrow. _I wonder what he's lost. I can't imagine what it was like living in the city with the vamps everywhere around him, how hard it was for him._

"Are you even listening to me Abby?" Orion asked, popping my out of my trance.

"Sorry, what?" I shook my head to clear my fogged thoughts.

"We are going to show Isaac to the boys' quarters. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll keep myself busy; I'll watch some security footage or something." I smiled and waved them off. "Have fun."

. . .

Isaac followed Orion thru the cement corridor, making sure to keep a safe distance from him. Orion kept to himself and only the heels of his hunting boots echoed off the walls.

Earlier, Dominic had split away to go to the security room with Abby, so it was just the two of them.

When it was brought up that Isaac should see the boys' quarters, Isaac couldn't have been happier. He was starving, and forcing down the human food hadn't helped at all. He needed to get away. There were so many of them in the cafeteria, so many beating hearts; he had gripped the railing to prevent himself from attacking. That's what his instincts told him to do. _Attack. Feed._ It was so easy to rip through their skin and devoir their blood.

"So we'll see you later?" Orion asked—not that he cared what the answer was. He was leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah," Isaac finally answered.

Isaac thought breathing through his mouth was better than breathing in the intoxicating scent through his noise, but he was wrong; he could almost taste the humans that way.

He just wanted the annoying human to leave so he could compose himself. Of course, Isaac could take the boy in a fight and feed off of him to stop his cravings, but Isaac wouldn't; he couldn't mess this up, not this early. "I'm just going to sleep for a while; it's been a long night. I'll come back out soon."

"Great," Orion said sarcastically as he rolled on his shoulder out the door.

Inside the sleeping hold the walls were cement. There was a small twin-sized bed with forest green covers folded tightly over it. In the corner was a small door that led to a bathroom. Isaac ran his fingers thru his hair as he trudged into the bathroom. There was a toilet and an ivory sink with a mirror, no shower. Isaac ran cold water over his hands and pressed his palms onto his face, cooling it down. His body always liked being cold.

He looked at himself in the mirror. He was paler than usual; it was because he was hungry. He needed blood and he knew it.

"But where am I going to get it?" Isaac spoke softly to himself. He couldn't just be reckless about his feedings. "Think!" Slowly, he lifted his previously sagging head and stared at his own reflection.

He knew where he was going to get blood.

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**review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**a longer one :) we are just starting to get into the action so please stay with me ;)**

**dont forget to review**

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Chapter 3:

Watching security footage in the daytime wasn't all that interesting. No vampires were out; they were all hiding from the sun. The only thing that was exciting was watching tan dust tornadoes blow around.

In the distance I could see the sparkling gleam of the buildings in the city; we were about 4 miles away from them, and yet we still remained hidden from them.

"I can't believe he ran all the way out here, and _survived_ none the less." Dominic spoke with disbelief. He had joined me a little while ago in the surveillance room, but we had been sitting in silence, pondering about the new boy, Isaac.

"I know! And he really knew what he was doing when he fought off those vamps." I laughed a little. "Maybe he could teach Orion something."

Dominic and I both laughed at that, but we stopped as soon as Orion walked through the door. "Ha. Ha." He laughed sarcastically as he strutted in.

"Why do you hate him so much?" I asked, leaning back in my chair and crossing my legs.

"Since when do you trust strangers so much?" Orion countered. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers?" he teased, arching his eyebrow and taking a seat next to Dominic and me.

I thought of my mother then. She was so sweet. Her friends always told me I was an exact replica of her in every way. My heart ached for her. I wanted her to be here to hug me and tell me that everything was going to be all right, that we would make it out alive. But she couldn't. My mom died that day at the wedding and she never came back; she was too… _mutilated_ to come back—even though most people come back. That's why there are so many of those monsters. I guess, in a way, she was lucky.

"I don't trust him." Orion spoke up again.

"Why not? You saw him. He doesn't even _look_ like one of them. It's physically impossible for him to be one of them. He doesn't have fangs and his eyes are human." I explained.

"He may be human, but that doesn't mean he's on our side."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? He's working with the vamps?" I rolled my eyes at the ridiculousness.

"He said he lived in the city, maybe he's working with them for his freedom, maybe they are threatening him."

"If that were true, and they knew where we lived, then why wouldn't they just attack? Why would they go through the trouble of using a spy?" Dominic asked. Orion didn't have a comeback so he just stayed silent. Dominic smiled triumphly. "Maybe you shouldn't judge people so quickly. I think this world has made you crazy. Isaac's not a spy; he's just another human that is trying to survive this world, just like the rest of us."

"I still don't trust him." Orion arched his eyebrows and crossed his arms. He pointed a finger at Dominic. "And don't come crying to me when your boyfriend trades you in to the monsters." Dominic's face went white.

"I—he—he's _not _my boyfriend." Dominic started blushing, staring at me wide-eyed, waiting for me to defend him.

"Oh please, we both saw you getting your flirt on with him." I joked.

"I at least give you credit for trying." Orion spun lazily in his chair, staring uninterested at the ceiling.

I give Dominic credit too. I mean, I want him to be happy, and the chances of there being a human boy out there that wanted a relationship with Dominic were slim to none. I can't imagine what it's like to be him; he's had such a rough past and he has an even rougher future. He deserves to be happy.

"He hasn't said anything yet, so I might as well keep on trying." Dominic shrugged his shoulders.

"Well," Orion said standing up. "As much fun as this is, talking your _possible _personal love life… I'm going to go sharpen my knives or something… maybe teach Lucile something new." Orion didn't care that Dominic was gay, and didn't hate him for it either; he was just uncomfortable talking about it sometimes. "Abby, you want to come and help?"

"As fun as that sounds," I teased sarcastically, but in truth, anything sounded better than watching sand fly around on a screen. "I'll have to take you up on that deal. You'll be okay in here?" I asked Dominic.

He waved me off and his sleeve fell down revealing one of his multiple tattoos. It was a black bird. "You two have fun."

"Thanks." I got up from my chair and followed Orion. I slipped my hand into his as we left. I felt the multiple miniature scars that spotted his hand, most of which were from training Lucile, more of the serous scars were on his chest and arms; those scars weren't from Lucile.

"So, what are you really leaving for?" I asked.

"You don't want to sharpen knives with me?" Orion asked, his lips curving into a cocky half smile.

"There are _a lot_ of things I'd rather do than sharpen knives."

"Such as?" Orion pulled on my shirt to twirl me around. My chest was pushed against his as he slid his hands to my waist. I smiled up at him, since he was about five inches taller than I was, and kissed him. Without a second thought, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders—strong and safe. His touch was familiar and grounding. When I was with him, he made me believe I didn't have to worry about anything else; that's why I was so conflicted when it came to our relationship. I wanted to be with him, but if anything were to happen, I would fall apart.

Orion pushed me against the cold cement wall as he laughed playfully in his throat. His kiss deepened and his hands wandered farther south, curving around my thighs.

"Am I interrupting something?" a voice spoke up, clearing his throat. Isaac was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, not looking the least bit worried that he had interrupted Orion and me. He was wearing a new, clean, white shirt, apart from his old shirt he arrived in and his hair was slightly wet. I couldn't help but notice how his t-shirt was tight around his muscles.

Orion hung his head and bit his lip, smiling. "Not at all." He turned to look at Isaac. "You look better. Get enough sleep?"

"Yes I did." Isaac nodded slightly. "Is Dominic in there?" He pointed to the security room.

"Umm, yeah he is." I crossed my arms in order to cover myself. I felt a little too exposed at the moment. _I wonder if I'm blushing. How embarrassing… in front of the new kid too._

Isaac grinned, but for some reason it looked conniving. "Great. Thanks," and he walked into the room.

"Maybe I was wrong about him." Orion spoke up.

"You don't think he's a spy?" I was hopeful.

"No. I _still _think that." I hit Orion's chest lightly as we continued to walk. "I think that Dominic _may_ get a boyfriend."

"Shame," I rested my head on Orion's chest as we walked to his room. "He's hot. He's got a jaw line that was chiseled by gods." I felt Orion stiffen. He was definitely the jealous type. "Relax, I'm not leaving you for a possible gay boy I just met."

Orion looked at me with a forced shocked face. "That's the closest you've ever come to saying I was your boyfriend."

"And it's the closest thing you'll get for a while." I smiled up at him and gave him a big hug.

. . .

Isaac left his new room hastily, hoping he wouldn't miss his opportunity to get blood.

His memory was much better now than when he was human, so he knew how to navigate the maze-like corridors already. _Left. Right. Right. Second door on the left._ He punched in the code. No one had told him it, but when Dominic punched in the code earlier, his super sensitive hearing had heard the tone difference, and he was able to replicate the code.

This time when he opened the cafeteria door there was silence, apart from a few dishes being cleaned and banged onto a countertop. He counted three beating hearts. _Easy enough._

Isaac made his way down the staircase and toward the humans. All three of them were women. _Too easy, _he thought with a smile.

"Excuse me, can we help you?" One of the girls raised her head. She was probably 30. The other two were much younger 7 or so; they looked like twins, possibly the woman's children.

"Actually, yes," Isaac helped himself into the kitchen and let the door fall closed behind him. The kitchen had several chrome pots and pans the hung from the ceiling. Huge stovetops were on his right. No windows, just cement walls.

The women were to his left where there were several washing stations. The area smelled like cooked bacon and slimy dish soap. Isaac's stomach churned at the memory of forcing down that glass of milk and quickly pushed the memory behind him.

Isaac sauntered over to the older woman. Isaac was stuck at 20; he had been going to college when all of this happened and had no doubts that he could lure the woman in. He had been able to do it as human, and ever since then, his looks had become even more defined, making it easier than ever to attract prey.

He leaned on hand on the stainless sliver counter top. The woman had stopped doing the dishes, but the other girls continued working. "And what do you need help with?" she asked.

"I'm a little hungry. Do you know where I can get a bite to eat?" Isaac moved in a little closer.

"Well," the woman giggled, reminding him of a little girl. "This _is_ the kitchen."

Isaac laughed deep in his throat. "Mmm hmm." He moved in even closer, and the woman didn't resist. He leaned in and kissed her neck. He could feel small goose bumps on her skin appear under his lips. She giggled again.

Isaac's kisses followed her artery and he closed his eyes, fearful that if he kept them open, the small girls may see the monster he really was, and scream. The beating of her heart made his fangs prick his lips as they popped out. He hadn't tasted fresh blood in so long.

He was about to act on his natural instinct when a voice inside him stopped him.

_Don't draw attention to yourself. _It was the first rule he promised to obey. _Resist your urges._

Isaac lifted his head reluctantly and whispered in the woman's ear. "Would you be so kind as to tell me where the farm is?"

The woman looked confused. "It's outside."

"And it's private? No cameras?" he interrogated.

The woman smiled and walked her fingers up Isaac's chest. "Nope."

"Perfect." He cooed and then shifted his tone to a more demanding one. "Now finish up your dishes."

The woman's face contorted into an angry frown. As Isaac left the kitchen through the backdoor he heard her mutter, "_Ass."_

The farm wasn't as elaborate as Isaac predicted. There was a poorly built, wooden building attached to the main cement one and inside were the animals. Stalls on his left held horses and stalls on his right held cows. A chicken coop was at the far end, and he could hear and smell the pigs in their own separate building. Hay littered the ground and rays of sunlight came through the rickety, hand-made, wood siding. Even in this small amount, the sun bothered Isaac and he was cautious not to step in too big of a ray.

Some of the horses whinnied and pounded their hooves; horses were very smart animals; they could sense what he was. Therefore, in order to keep anyone from coming out to check on the noise, he moved over to the cows. They would sense the danger too, eventually, but he would shut them up quickly.

Picking the nosiest one, he let his fangs pop out and plunged them into the cow's large neck. It mooed with pain, but Isaac didn't let go.

The fresh animal blood that flooded into his mouth was better than the stale human blood he had been drinking in the city, but it was still bitter. His body knew this wasn't what he needed. His body needed human blood to survive; he knew it, and the doctors knew it. That's why he was put on the mission: to find more human blood. Supplies were running low in the city, just like everywhere else.

Isaac ripped away from the cow's throat and it collapsed to the ground. For a moment, as blood dripped off of his chin, Isaac stared at the cow and wondered if vampirism could be spread between animal species. He never heard of anyone drinking straight from an animal before.

Just to be safe, Isaac grabbed an axe off the wall (that was obviously used in butchering) and swung down onto the cow's neck. A warm scarlet mist splattered on his face.

. . .

After cleaning up, Isaac looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing a different shirt now—he had found clothes in the dresser that were just his size—and his old shirt was soaking in the sink in pink water. He had cleaned off his face and ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair.

He wasn't as pale anymore. Feeding had helped. His veins were darker now and pulsed slightly as they fed off the life the blood had given him.

He figured he better go see where the weak boy was—Dominic.

As he navigated his way through the hallways he heard two familiar heartbeats racing. Isaac turned the corner to see Orion and Abby together, pushed against the wall, kissing. _I wonder what would happen if they were to break up? I could get to her as well. Hearts are an easy thing to break... _"Am I interrupting something?" He spoke up.

Orion's tone seemed annoyed, but he was smiling. "Not at all." He turned his head to look at Isaac and wrapped a protective arm around Abby. "You look better. Get enough sleep?" Orion asked.

"Yes I did. Is Dominic in there?" Isaac questioned, even though he already knew the answer. He could hear Dominic's heart and steady breathing in the room just down the hall.

"Umm. Yeah, he is," Abby responded, her heart still racing. Isaac thought that her heart was not racing from Orion, but from Isaac's presence. Isaac smiled, noting that for later.

"Great. Thank you." He walked pass them and into the security room where Dominic sat by himself.

"You two love birds get bored—?" Dominic spun around in his chair and looked shocked to see Isaac standing there.

"Hey," Isaac said, walking over to an empty chair.

"Hey," Dominic responded.

Isaac cupped his hand around his neck. He remembered that humans fidget when they are nervous. "I—uh, just wanted to apologize for the way I acted earlier. I was a jerk. I just… it's been a long day."

Dominic smiled warmly, "Yeah, I get it. I remember what it was like living out there. It can really get under your skin sometimes."

"Yeah," Isaac replied quietly.

Dominic's face softened. "Did something happen?"

Isaac paused. "My brother… he didn't make it." Dominic's face softened even more, almost like he knew the pain Isaac was pretending to suffer from. "He tripped, scraped his knee, and started bleeding. _That's_ how the monsters found us. They smelled him. It was hard for him to run, and he slowed me down; we both knew it. By the time they caught up with us, he told me to run." Isaac paused, using this time to fake-breathe.

"I'm sorry," Dominic interrupted.

"What?" Isaac was taken back; he didn't expect Dominic to say anything.

"I'm sorry, about your brother. I've lost people too."

_Got you,_ Isaac thought. _I can play off of this. _"I don't even know if he survived."

"You don't think that he'll come back as one of them?" Dominic asked.

"The vamps in the city never feed live anymore, most of them never have. They farm from humans and save the blood into bags so it's easier to be distributed and the farming area has extremely high security. The blood they get is not fresh. This was probably an outright feast for them."

Dominic smiled and spun in his chair to pull up something on the large screen. He type a few codes and pulled up a video. On the screen, a night-vision video popped up and a mangy coyote crept across the screen, its eyes reflecting in the camera's view. Following closely was a vampire that leapt and tackled the animal; they both rolled in the sand, but eventually the coyote's body went limp. When the vampire lifted his head, its chin was dripping with blood, a satisfied look on its face before it ran off again.

"I know this sounds strange, but I've always found them… fascinating. They've adapted just like we have, and this may be proof that they may give up human blood." Dominic said shyly.

_Fascinating? _That's a description Isaac had never heard before.

Dominic kept talking, "I mean… I've always wanted to _experiment_ with them—find out how they operate. You know, I used to go to med school before all of this."

"I thought you were a techie?" Isaac asked with an eyebrow arched.

"Well, I really wanted to work in the labs, but the heavier tech stuff I did on my own time." Dominic smiled and shrugged. "It's always been a hobby."

"I took some medicine classes before all of this too," This time, Isaac didn't have to lie. Even now, in the city, he helped the doctors' figure out how the transition happened and what could be done to reverse it. The blood supply was getting low and they had two options: figure out how to reverse the process, or find away to get more blood. They decided on the latter.

"Guess we've got a lot in common." Dominic punched Isaac playfully in the shoulder.

"Yeah," Isaac mumbled sullenly.

"You really miss your brother don't you?"

Isaac looked at Dominic and tried to soften his face like Dominic had done earlier. "He was all I had left, but I knew this day would come. I knew we would eventually get separated."

Suddenly, Dominic's face lit up. "Hey! Abby, Orion, and I are going out hunting tonight you should come with us! If those vamps are out there, _you_ deserve to get revenge on them."

Isaac lifted his head and smirked, "I'd like that."

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	4. Chapter 4

**hope everyone had a good thanksgiving :) ps. i don't know if i said this before but the girl on my icon for the story is supposed to be abby :)**

**Enjoy this chapter and please review!**

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Chapter 4:

Orion and I walked to the garage together. It smelled like metal and gasoline, and it held Orion's giant, mud-covered jeep and a handful of weapons. He was talking about some new prototype he was working on, but I wasn't listening, I was mindlessly gazing elsewhere. It was hard to tell, but the dim orange light coming from the seam at the bottom of the door told me it was sunset.

There was a wall full of varying knives by the hood of the jeep. Small bowie knives, fighting tomahawks, seal knives, stakes, and swords gleamed deadly in the hard, blue fluorescent light. Orion grabbed an assortment of "playthings" and packed them into a canvas duffle bag. As he was packing, I noticed that Dominic was just walking in; Isaac was following him.

"Hey, I told Isaac he could come with us. Hope that's okay." Dominic walked past me to grab a knife. He played with it skillfully and inspected the barbed teeth on the lethal blade.

"But," I asked, only to be cut off short.

"They killed his brother," Dominic whispered. "That's how he made it all the way out here. The vamps got to his brother first. He needs to get his revenge. I thought this would be a good way for him to cope."

I thought about Orion's words. Isaac _could _be a spy, but in my mind, it didn't seem likely. I watched Isaac watch Dominic and Orion play with their weapons. He looked over and I quickly realized I had been staring much too long. Isaac smiled; his smile was crooked, reminding me of a little boy. Innocent.

He couldn't be a spy.

"Mind if I tag along?" Isaac gleamed as he walked over to grab a weapon. He settled on the one that had a bayonet-type knife on one end and a carved stake at the other. "Nice." Isaac expertly spun the weapon like a baton and lunged forward stabbing air with the sword-end.

"Wait, now hold up, we didn't say you could 'tag along'." Orion turned around, the end of Isaac's weapon almost slicing him; he lazily pushed the blade away with his finger, slightly furious. His eyebrows creased together and his cheeks flushed slightly.

"Well, why not?" Dominic defended. "You saw him fighting off those vamps. He obviously knows what he's doing. What harm will it do?"

Orion gave Isaac a once over, seeing what his potential was. "Fine," he caved. "But you listen to _our_ rules, which means you listen to _me_. Any funny business and we leave you outside with the monsters. Again."

Orion had stepped closer so that Isaac and him were face to face. In a smooth tone, not missing a beat, with a smirk on his face, Isaac added, "Got it."

"Good," Orion spun around on his heels to face the weapon's table again, grabbing what was necessary. Isaac walked behind him, surveying the weapons.

"Are these the only things you have to protect yourselves from the monsters?" Isaac asked.

"No, these are just the best. We have several more to hand out if there was ever an attack, and we have—" Dominic began.

"Dominic." Orion gritted his teeth.

Silence followed as we all waited for someone to speak. Surprisingly, Isaac spoke up. "Look, it's no secret that you're suspicious of me; you have every right to be. This world is savage and all around screwed up, but you have to believe me when I say that I'm not the bad guy here. Yesterday I thought there was no hope for me, now I think differently. This place gives me hope. I'm not giving that up anytime soon. I'm not going to sell you out."

Dominic and I shared a look at Orion that said 'told you so'. What Isaac said was the same thing we had felt. We all came from different places, struggling to survive, and then we found this place, a safe haven in the middle of nowhere. I believed Isaac's words like they were my own.

Orion said nothing about Isaac's response but started packing the jeep instead.

"So there are more weapons?" Isaac asked, somewhat quieter now, probably fearful that Orion might have an episode.

Dominic responded first by nodding his head. He was the one was in charge of security. He made all of the traps and locks and cameras. _Orion_ designed all of the weapons, but Dominic knew where everything was hidden and locked. "Besides the weapons we have the locking doors and an alarm system that can go off."

"An alarm system?" Isaac asked incredulously, arching a beautifully shaped, light brown eyebrow.

"It sends out a super high pitch tone that only the vamps can hear and it's extremely painful to them too. It practically immobilizes them. And we're working on an advanced lock down system." Dominic explained excitedly.

"Really," Isaac pondered.

"Are you guys ready?" Orion asked impatiently, obviously not happy that Dominic was spilling all of our security secrets. Orion was leaning against the driver's side of the jeep, waiting for us.

"Yepp," I answered for everyone, running my fingers through my light blonde hair.

I hopped into the passenger seat and Dominic and Isaac climbed into the back. The top of the jeep was just the roll cage and they used the bars to help themselves climb in.

Before Orion got in the car he used his whistle that was chained around his neck to call for Lucile. The whistle was almost silent, like a dog whistle, but Lucile could hear it. I heard a grunt of pain come from the back and I turned around to see what the noise was about. Isaac had his head down to his knees. "Sorry," Isaac said as rubbed his temples. "I've had this terrible headache all day. I—I must be dehydrated."

"Oh, here," Dominic readily handed Isaac his canteen of water and Isaac guzzled it down greedily. "Thank you," he replied hoarsely.

Because of all of the extra baggage, Dominic and Isaac were squished closely together in the back seat and it looked like Isaac was uncomfortable. He was leaning as far away as he could in order to not touch Dominic and he kept his hands in his lap. It looks like Dominic may not get a boyfriend, or maybe Isaac's just shy…

Orion flung the last duffle bag in the back with the boys and jumped into the driver's seat. Lucile came cawing just as Orion hit the button to open the garage door. As it rattled open, Lucile flew ahead and into the night.

Orion turned over the engine and it slowly grumbled to life. This was an old car and the only way to get a new one was to go into the city, which wasn't an option.

As we traveled across the desert, dust flew behind the car. My hair whipped around my face and I smiled, looking up into the night sky. I loved coming out here. Sometimes, staying inside all the time got, well, cramped, and I loved the fresh air.

The moon was full and lit up the sandy dunes. Specks of glittering light flickered in the black sky.

Orion slowed down the jeep as we got to our destination: halfway between the compound and the city. He turned off the engine.

I looked back to see if the compound was visible; it wasn't. No lights protruded the cement building, which is exactly what we wanted: no windows.

"This is it?" Isaac asked, uncertainly looking around. "There's nothing here."

"Exactly, we make them come to us." Orion pushed one of the duffle bags around and pulled out the cooler. Before Isaac could ask what was inside, Orion pulled out a vile of blood and unscrewed the top, pouring its contents onto the desert floor. The dark pool of blood began to seep into the sand. "They'll come to us, and we'll kill them. It's a trap. Just think of it as population control." Orion kept firm eye contact with Isaac as he spoke.

I could see Isaac nervously fisting his hands. "Don't you ever worry that a herd of them will come?"

"No." Orion said bluntly, turning off the headlights.

We all got out of the car then, waiting for something to happen. I sat up on the hood of the car with my feet resting on the bumper, and watched Isaac. Something about him just kept pulling me in. First of all, his looks were amazing. He was probably the most spectacular boy I've seen in a while, but something about him was mysterious to me, which kept me wanting more.

"How come you don't have any guns? Theses weapons can only get so far. If a herd were to come and attack, you'd all be murdered." Isaac asked.

"Herds never come," Orion glanced up swiftly, hatred and annoyance in his eyes. "Guns are too noisy. The noise attracts them here. _Then_ a herd would come." Orion spoke, and as if on command, Lucile came swooping down, circling all of us, cawing.

This only meant one thing. Vampires.

There were three of them that showed up, snarling and hissing. Instantly we all grabbed our weapons and took a fighting stance. All three of the vampires were male. _Great._ The males were always more aggressive.

I gripped my knife harder. I had been trained. I have gone through the steps hundreds of times. Aim for the heart.

The vampires stopped running and seemed to inspect us. One of them, who seemed to be the leader, spoke up. There was a wry smile on his face. "Well, well, you might as well have called us to a feast. Four of you, three of us," the vampires behind him bared their teeth and drooled slightly. There bodies were tense and they look strained, like they were dying to attack, but wouldn't until the leader said it was okay. Their hissing increased.

The leader had black hair, making his pale skin even whiter, and his pointed teeth were the same ivory color as his skin. The whites of his eyes were black and his irises were dark red, making his eyes look completely blacked out. He looked even more demonic than they usually do. I watched the vampire's eyes as they flicked to Isaac.

"You," he growled with recognition, but before he could finish his thought Orion flung a dagger into his heart. The other vampires leaped forward to attack.

Everything happened so fast, not only because my adrenaline was pumping, but also because the vampires moved so fast.

Orion pulled me aside and I caught a glimpse of Isaac pulling Dominic behind the jeep. My mind shouted, _never split up_!

This is bad.

I was breathing hard as I leaned against a rock to protect my back from any attacks and I struggled with my scabbard, trying to unhook the button to help fight off the vampire that was attacking Orion.

The blonde-haired vampire and Orion were rolling on the ground and the vampire eventually landed on his back, Orion straddling his hips, holding a dagger lethally at his throat. The vampire held Orion's wrists, preventing the knife from plunging into his flesh. The vampire was snapping his teeth, trying to get a bite of Orion. Both of them were growling, baring teeth.

Finally, after an unnecessary amount of struggling, I pulled my knife free, only to be cut off by Lucile. The hawk swooped in (Orion must have saw her because he rolled off of the vampire) and, with talons out, clawed at the vampire's face. He screamed in pain; Lucile matched his screeches with her own. The vampire covered his face with his hands to try and hinder the bloody mess, and this gave us the perfect opportunity to strike.

"Give me your knife!" Orion ordered with his hand outstretched. I instantly stretched out a shaking hand and gave him my knife. He whistled for Lucile to leave the vampire and he stuck it in its heart. The vampire's body went limp.

It was then I allowed myself to look for Dominic and Isaac. I saw them backed up against the jeep, fighting off a vampire. My legs moved before I realized what I was doing. I heard Orion call my name and come running after me, but I didn't stop.

Quickly realizing I didn't have a knife anymore, I forced my body against the vampire with all of my weight. We both fell to the ground, but the vampire easily rolled on top of me. His smile was cruel and hungry. I'll never know what his smile intended because at that moment Isaac grabbed the vampire's collar and flung him backward into the jeep. Working in synchronization, Orion stabbed the vampire and Dominic helped pin him against the jeep. The body fell to the ground.

I was breathing hard as Isaac extended a hand to help me up. He didn't seem phased and there wasn't a scratch on him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

All I could do was nod my head.

"Let's go back to the compound before anymore show up." Dominic said somewhat nervously as Orion revved the car up so we could go home.

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	5. Chapter 5

**so, i'm not really getting too many reviews on this and i'm wonder whether or not i should continue it. so please, let me know!**

**kind of a short chapter, but i had to leave you guys on a cliff hanger :)**

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Chapter 5:

The giant garage door shut with a mechanical bang and then there was silence. No one in the car talked. Lucile perched on top of the jeep's roll cage and studied the kids silently. Everyone was covered with dirt and blood, but Orion had the worst of it. Blood splattered his forearms and the right side of his face. "You better go get cleaned up. You don't want the infected blood on you too long." Abby suggested quietly. Without making eye contact, Orion got out of the jeep and left with Lucile following him.

"What's up with him?" Dominic asked. "I've never seen him shaken up like that after hunting."

"I don't know." Abby said, now curious. "I'll go see what's up." With that, Abby ran off to follow Orion.

Without knowing what to do, Isaac started unloading the car. He figured it would help his credibility.

"So, umm, thanks," Dominic spoke up. He had started helping Isaac unpack. His heart rate and breathing increased and his hands were fidgety.

Isaac raised an eyebrow, curious of why the human was acting this way. "'Thanks' for what?"

"If you didn't help fight off that vamp, I would have been dead."

Isaac recalled what he was talking about. The vampires had attacked and Orion and Abby, while Dominic and Isaac were left fighting off a vampire on their own by the jeep. Dominic had been holding his own, but if Isaac hadn't intervened the vampire would have killed him. Isaac had considered letting it happen too, but he couldn't; wouldn't let it happen. Dominic held the answers that Isaac was looking for. He was worth something, so Isaac fought off the vampire.

"It was nothing, especially in this world. Saving someone's life is like," Isaac thought of a good comparison, "buying dinner for someone. No big deal." Isaac shrugged off the compliment and smiled.

Dominic laughed at that. "Well, thanks for 'buying me dinner.'"

Then, Dominic did something Isaac never saw coming. He kissed Isaac on the lips. He could feel Dominic's pulse through his lips; it made Isaac's mouth water. His canine's ached; his fangs wanted to poke out. His stomach pained him; he wanted a fresh, human meal. Being this close to a human made him absurdly hungry.

But there was something else paining Isaac. It wasn't just the hunger, but something else. This something almost made him feel sick and a wave of nausea rolled over him.

Isaac stiffened and pulled away quickly, unsure of what just happened and unsure about what he would do about Dominic. So he did what he did best and disappeared, leaving Dominic alone in the garage.

. . .

I followed Orion into the shower area, which was a deceiving name for the room because there weren't actual showers. There wasn't enough running water to accompany dishwashing, bathrooms _and_ showering, so one had to be sacrificed. Unfortunately it was the showers. Instead of running water we have giant tin tubs that we fill with water. They don't save much water, but it's enough.

I found Orion lying in one alone. His dark hair was slightly damp and raked back out of his face but the blood wasn't entirely scrubbed off his face yet. He was staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey," I said as I opened the door.

Orion didn't say anything. I kneeled next to him and picked up the washcloth that hung over the side, but wasn't being used. I dipped it in the room temperature bath water and gently washed his face. "What's wrong?" I asked softly.

Orion clenched his jaw and turned his head toward me. "I knew that vampire that attacked me."

"The blonde one?"

Orion nodded his head.

I continued to sponge along Orion's bronzed, muscled chest. "Are you telling me that you've never come across someone you know that has turned?"

"I have. And they've all acted like that: they don't recognize me; all they see is a food source."

"Who was it?" I asked.

"He was my roommate." Orion laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You know, there was this one time we went out after having a few drinks and broke into this abandoned building. It was an old asylum and teenagers would always trespass for a thrill. For ages we heard stories of people being scared out of their mind from hearing noises and claiming so see someone, and we had to see it for ourselves. That's when we found our first vampire. It was just lying there, chained up. It looked like it starved to death. The worst thing I remember was the smell. Nothing is worse than the smell of decaying animals. Dead rats and mice scattered the floor around the vampire; those were the only things it could reach. I just remember how pale and skeletal it looked. Far past death, but its body would never fully die. Some part of me felt badly for it, but James, my roommate, killed it. He wasn't afraid, not of the vampire, not of anything. I never expected to see him turned."

"I'm sorry," I finally added. "We've all lost people we loved."

"It's not just that, Abby!" Orion snapped. He smashed his fists into the water sending water droplets flying onto the floor and me. I jerked back in surprise. "One of the vampires recognized Isaac." Orion whispered with hatred.

I shook my head. "Not this again."

"Listen to me, Abby. One of them _recognized_ him. That means one of them saw Isaac while they were a vampire."

"What are you getting at?" I rolled my eyes.

"If one of those monsters ever saw Isaac in the city, he would be dead—they would have devoured him in seconds. If they knew Isaac _before_ they were turned, they wouldn't remember him." Orion paused, waiting for me to say something, but I never did, so he continued. "_Neither_ of those situations happened," he paused again.

"You still think he's a spy?" I asked incredulously. I can't believe Orion still thinks this. If Isaac were out to get us he wouldn't have pulled that vampire off of me.

"Why don't you believe me? The evidence is all there!"

I stood up, shaking my head some more. "You're wrong. He's not a spy or a vampire or whatever you think he is." Before Orion could say anything else to stop me, I stormed out of the room, leaving him alone. I could hear him calling my name, but I ignored him.

. . .

Isaac rushed to his room, locked the door, and immediately keeled over, clutching his stomach. He landed on his knees: one hand on the floor, one and trying to ease his pain. It didn't help, and he groaned in pain.

_What is wrong with me? _He thought as he rushed to the bathroom. He gripped the white sink, his knuckles turning white, and looked at himself in the mirror. His disguise was fading; he could see his eyes changing, darkening to their normal red color. He gritted his teeth and felt his fangs. _No, no, no! _Isaac's face was paler than usual and he was sweating.

Isaac's stomach churned again. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on why this was happening.

Did Dominic bring this on? No, but at the same time, maybe he did. If Dominic hadn't done what he did, Isaac would have never felt hunger, which brought on this agonizing sickness. Yet, Isaac still didn't know why he would be sick. He _had_ fed—

The animal blood.

There was a reason vampires never feed from animal blood. It was always accompanied with human blood when it was consumed in the city, which neutralized the poison of animal blood.

The human food.

He forced himself to choke down the awful stuff for appearances.

Isaac couldn't believe how stupid he had been. How _impulsive_ he had been.

A wave of nausea hit him again and Isaac fell to the toilet, retching. A memory flashed before him of when he was human. He had gotten food poisoning from a Chinese restaurant. This… was _much_ worse.

The entire bowl and lid of the toilet was cover with blood that he had regurgitated up. Blood also cover the front of his face and shirt as well as his hands. He was a complete mess. Every muscle in his body seemed to fight against him. His stomach bubbled again and he vomited, clutching the cold porcelain like a lifeline.

Isaac could deal with the pain and the sickness; he just hoped that no one would find him like this. That would be something he couldn't deal with. Isaac wasn't in control; he knew it too. He looked like a full-fledged vampire and there was no talking out of it.

It seems the Fates were working against him because exactly at that moment, there was a knock on the door. Isaac groaned. "Isaac? Hey, look, I'm sorry. I just—" Dominic's voice was muffled from behind the bathroom door. Isaac wondered how he had gotten through the first locked door, but Isaac knew Dominic had every key and code for this building.

After spitting out excess blood, Isaac responded. "Dominic, can we talk later. Now's not exactly a good time."

A pause. "I'm sorry. I thought you felt the same way…" Dominic continued to talk but Isaac retched again. "Isaac?" Dominic questioned, he stopped apologizing because he must have heard Isaac. "Are you okay? Hey, if you're sick I can help. I used to study medicine, remember?"

"No! I, uh, I don't want to get you sick."

"_Please_, I have an extraordinary immune system." Dominic said as he rattled the door handle.

"Dominic!" Isaac growled, but it was too late; he had come through the door. A mixed look of fear, astonishment, and confusion filled his face, which had gone pale (most likely from the sight of all the blood). Dominic swallowed hard, looking like he might throw up himself, but instead he said, "You're one of them."

Isaac couldn't say anything in return before he vomited more blood.

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	6. Chapter 6

**sorry for the wait. :)**

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Chapter 6:

There was a deafening silence pounding against Isaac's head; it made it hard to focus on the present. _Where am I?_

He hesitantly opened his eyes to blazing fluorescent lights that didn't help his headache. He squinted his eyes shut in pain and gritted his teeth. He wanted to squeeze his temples to try and ease the agony, but his arms were restrained. He looked down to see that he was shackled, like an animal. Isaac hadn't noticed earlier but he was also collapsed on his knees on the floor. He tugged feebly at the chains, hardly doing any damage. He was weak.

The sound of blood pumping was the first thing that snapped Isaac back to reality. He was _that_ hungry. Slowly, Isaac lifted his head, searching the room with his still blurry vision. He could see silver things all around and what looked like a stainless steel countertop. A vague haze of light lit the glass cupboards that were hung above the countertop. Leaning on one of the counters was a black shape. As soon as Isaac looked at the black figure its heart began beating faster.

A deep growl erupted from Isaac's throat. _Food. Fresh blood. _Thinking of tearing through the warm flesh made Isaac's mouth water and he snapped at the figure, baring his teeth and hissing.

Now that there was something provoking Isaac, he tore harder at the chains that imprisoned him; they started to break free from the wall, screw by screw. Knowing that he would soon be free, he fought harder against the restraints.

A cruel smile crawled on his face. Isaac knew his fangs were out to their point and his eyes were no longer human, but black and red. His mouth snapped once more before the figure yelled.

"Isaac!" The figure put up its hands. Either in surrender or protection, Isaac wasn't sure.

Isaac vision had started to clear because of his hunger—whenever he was hungry his senses were heightened; he turned into a hunter. As his sight became clearer, so did the person in the room. Isaac could see that the figure was wearing all black clothing. His skin was spotted with tattoos and his hair was all black with a strip of white. The boy's blue eyes stared at Isaac with not only fear, but also curiosity.

_Dominic. _The name flooded into Isaac's mind along with many other memories. Tricking his way into this institute. _Abby._ Drinking cow blood. _Orion._ Fighting off vampires in the desert. Dominic finding Isaac. Dominic discovering what Isaac truly was.

Slowly Isaac retracted his fangs and returned his eyes to a hazel color—like it made any difference now. Isaac was in deep and he knew it. There was no way to talk himself out of this mess. Dominic had seen Isaac as a vampire.

"How did you do that?" Dominic looked at Isaac like a science experiment.

Isaac was breathing hard, but it was out of habit, not necessity. He had become extraordinarily good at faking the act since he had lived here.

He pulled at his shackles in hopes of finally breaking free, but without success. He let his hand fall as much as it could in his restraints. "What?" he asked the human boy.

"You changed your appearance just now and I'm assuming that's how you've been hiding under our noses the whole time too." Dominic repeated.

Isaac raised his chin just a bit and silted his eyes at Dominic. "Why didn't you just kill me? That's safer than chaining me to this flimsy wall." Isaac teased in hopes of scaring Dominic. "I'll break free eventually."

Dominic ignored Isaac's last comment. "I want answers just as much as you do." If Dominic was scared, he wasn't showing it now. He was stronger than Isaac originally thought. _This world has made humans stronger_, Isaac thought.

Isaac smiled wickedly. "And if I agree to cooperate, what will I get out of it? Certain death?" he layered the last comment with sarcasm.

"No." The boy said and held up a clear hospital bag of blood, tempting Isaac. "I will help you, _only_ if you tell me the truth. If I even suspect you are lying, I will tell the entire place of you, and they can get creative with vampire execution." Dominic paused. "So what will you choose to accept? Blood or death?"

There was a silence between the two, and Dominic turned to throw the blood bag into a trash bin.

Isaac spoke up hastily. "I don't know why I can transform my looks. I thought it was normal until I moved to the city. When other vampires learned of what I could do they trained me." Isaac let out a laugh, but it held little humor. "They _tortured_ me into being able to withstand the scent of humans. I had to 'train' for months."

Dominic started walking toward Isaac with the blood bag extended in his hand. Isaac reached for it quickly which he decided was a bad idea; he showed Dominic his weakness. Now Dominic knew that Isaac depended on blood more than he originally led on.

It was a struggle to get the blood into his mouth, but eventually Isaac succeeded, sort of. He had spilled some on his chin, which he licked up with his tongue. Instantly, Isaac was able to draw strength from the human blood. He could feel the life it brought to his body. His skin felt warmer, his muscles were soothed, and his joints weren't achy anymore. He felt revitalized. This was the _human_ blood that he needed, not animal blood. Isaac didn't necessarily care that the blood was old and stale; he took what he could get.

"Why did you come here?" Dominic didn't waste anytime and got right to his questions.

Isaac sighed, and as he talked he watched Dominic pull out another hospital bag of blood from one of the glass cabinets. Isaac figured they were refrigerated. "In the city I work as a hematologist. Well, that's what most doctors do nowadays."

"What do you mean?"

"People are dying. More and more people die from starvation each day. There is a shortage of blood and we are looking for a blood substitute, a cure, _anything_. We're desperate. There were rumors about this place. No one believed them, but it was our last hope. Our blood substitute is killing more people than it is helping, so our last effort was this place we were sure didn't even exist."

"But here we are." Dominic crossed his arms.

"Here you are." Isaac repeated.

"So what was your plan once you got here."

Isaac didn't answer immediately, but looked at the blood in Dominic's hand instead, almost hypnotized by it. Did he really want blood so badly that he was willing to spill of his secrets?

Yes.

"I was sent here in search of more humans to bring back into the city. If we have more humans, less people will starve. On the small chance that there were humans here, I was ordered to learn the ropes. The security, the traps, the defenses…"

Dominic swore under his breath, realizing that Isaac had already learned all of that.

"Dominic," Isaac spoke softly.

"What?" he snapped back.

"The blood. I answered your question and I need blood in return." Dominic made a throaty noise of disgust and threw the blood to the side rather than at Isaac. Isaac looked at him in desperation. "Dominic, please, I need blood. I—I lost too much earlier."

"Why should I help you? You were going to turn us in!" Dominic yelled.

Before Isaac could respond there was knocking at the door. One, two, three times. "Dominic?" A soft voice asked. It was Abby.

Dominic glanced quickly at Isaac and then opened the door, using his body to block the view of the room. Isaac used his vampire hearing to help listen in on the conversation.

"Hey, is uh Isaac in there?" Abby asked.

"No," Dominic responded quickly.

"Oh, well then whom are you yelling at?" she asked with a slight giggle.

Dominic leaned one arm on the door. "I'm working with some chemicals. They must be making me a little loopy. Sorry," he said with a smile.

"I guess," Abby giggled. "Don't stay in here too long, okay?"

"Got it."

"Oh, and if you see Isaac, will you let him know I was looking for him?"

"Sure." Dominic said quickly, almost answering before Abby was done talking and before she could respond, he shut the door and slid the lock home.

Isaac opened his mouth to say something, but Dominic beat him to it. "If you _ever_ lay a hand on her,"

"I won't." Dominic gave Isaac a look of disbelief. Isaac sighed at Dominic's impatience, but understood it. "Have you been listening to what I've been telling you? I'm not here to hurt you."

"Oh, yes, that's right, you're just going to let them 'humanely' drain us of our blood. Humans aren't idiots, you know. We know what _really_ goes on in the city. All of those stupid advertisements and billboards about 'maintaining their safety' is a bunch of bullshit."

Isaac started laughing. The humans in the city were obviously used for blood, which made them weak, but the vampires did everything they could to keep them alive. They humans were a precious endangered resource. "Humans aren't much use to us when they are weak and sick. We don't treat them badly."

"You're lying." Dominic stated, but something hung in his voice that made it seem like he didn't believe his words. "I've seen the city. I've been there."

Isaac was taken aback. "You have?" He looked at the boy, and finally put the pieces together. Dominic's strong jaw and dark hair; he looked just like the mayor—the cruelest vampire in the city. "You're the mayor's son," Isaac said with sudden realization. Isaac had only met the mayor once and it was when he was being tortured. The mayor had stood over Isaac's bloody body and smiled at his 'creation.'

Dominic kept his head facing the floor as he spoke. "My father and I have never gotten along. Why do you think I rebelled against him?" Dominic gestured to his attire, tattoos, and piercings. "My father only wanted a _perfect family. _He couldn't have a gay son. He couldn't have a tattooed son. He couldn't have a human son." Dominic spat the words as if they were poison.

Isaac could only assume what Dominic had gone through. There must have be a portion of time when Dominic lived in the city, being drained, obviously not treated well by his father. "You must really hate me then don't you."

"I hate my _father_. I don't hate you." Dominic said matter-of-factly.

"You don't?"

"My father was a horrible person before he was turned. He'll always be like that. He hasn't skewed my views on the vampires. He hasn't skewed my view of you. I'm mad at you for using us, but I trust what you were saying."

"I don't understand. I thought you were mad. Why don't you hate vampires?"

"The fact that you can even ask that question tells me that you're different than the others. Any other vamp would be ripping at their shackles, trying to tear me to shreds. They wouldn't care about my opinion. You may not know it yet, but you're different, and so am I. You actually like it here; you won't admit it, but you do. You know you don't belong in the city because you're different. You even admitted it." Dominic laughed quickly. "You and I are more alike than you think. I can sense your insecurity because, in a way, I feel the same thing, and we understand each other. When I first told people about what I thought of vampires, they alienated me. The same way they alienate you in the city, right?"

Isaac remembered how Dominic had told him his view of vampires. Dominic was much different from the other humans, now that he thought about it. Dominic was right; there was something in both of them that separated them from society. Isaac hated to admit it too—he _was_ alienated in the city. There was a…tolerance, that he had that most vampires didn't have.

Dominic took Isaac's silence as a 'yes' and walked over to where he threw the blood bag to pick it up. When Dominic reached Isaac he had blood in one hand and a key in another. Slowly Dominic unlatched Isaac's shackles.

"What are you doing?" Isaac asked, puzzled.

"I think we can help each other toward a mutual goal."

Isaac rubbed his sore wrists. "Which is?"

"You want to find a cure?"

"It's impossible. We've exhausted every possibility." Isaac could relate to Dominic's hope, but he could see the two of them finding a cure here. Especially since they didn't have the technology they had in the city.

"Maybe not everything. If we put our minds together…"

"You know this is crazy, right?" Isaac asked.

"This world makes us do crazy things sometimes." Dominic smiled.

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	7. Chapter 7

**so i don't really like this chapter because it's a filler. i guess i could have made it better, but to be honest i'm on break and my brain isn't working very hard haha and i got 6 seasons of dexter i've been watching so i can't really multitask... **

**sorry this is a short filler but i will try to update soon. RR please :)**

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Chapter 7:

"Shit!" Isaac cursed as Dominic sliced the meaty part of his palm. He knew it would heal quickly, but he could feel the pain just the same.

"I told you I was going to cut on three." Dominic laughed slightly. He took a glass slide and put a drop of blood on it. He pressed the slides together and the red spot grew. He held it up to the light, getting lost in his scientific thoughts.

"I thought you would count to three and go on 'go'." Isaac mumbled, holding his wounded hand. The fresh cut was already beginning to scar over.

Dominic took the slide over to the counter—Isaac learned that this was a medical lab that Dominic used alone—and put it in a refrigerator. He and Dominic had been in here for hours, and Dominic was gaining more than more trust with Isaac and vice versa.

"Open your mouth," Dominic said.

Isaac cocked an eyebrow and joked, "You really get to the point don't you. First the kiss—"

"Stop," Dominic cut off, looking annoyed.

"Are we not going to bring that up? I've been telling you everything about me; it's only fair."

"Because you're a vampire. I need to know everything if we are going to make any progress." He spun around. "Besides, there's nothing for me to tell you. I just got the wrong impression from you." Isaac remained silent. "Right?"

"Right." Isaac spoke quickly, making sure that Dominic knew he was straight. Isaac had no problem with it; he just didn't necessarily want to lead on Dominic any more than he already had. Isaac felt bad. It must be hard. But Dominic didn't seem to show it. _He must've built this exterior_, Isaac thought, _it's his defense mechanism he developed because of his father._

"Look, I just need to swab your mouth, and then we can be done for the day."

Sounding exhausted, Dominic lifted his hand to swab. Isaac opened his mouth and let Dominic collect a saliva sample on a white swap stick. "The first step to finding a cure is finding out how the change from human to vampire even occurs," Dominic talked to himself. He put the sample in a glass tube and shut it with a click. "Can I ask you one more thing?" Dominic started.

"Sure."

"Those vampires that were with you the night you came here. Who were they?"

"My," Isaac searched for the right word, "clan. They adopted me when I came into the city. They were the ones who came up with the idea to investigate this place."

"Have they contacted you since you've been here?"

Isaac laughed, "No. They never had much faith in me being able to hide what I am. They thought I would snap. I bet they think I've gotten myself killed. They haven't showed up." Isaac stopped talking, not wanting to reveal much more. His clan knew there were humans here; they saw Isaac had been taken in. Even if they had little faith in Isaac, they would eventually find their way in to have a feast. It would be a massacre. His clan selfishly wanted this place so they could feed; it was _Isaac's_ idea to turn the humans to help the city.

_They'll be back_, Isaac thought. _It's only a matter of time. _And he couldn't tell Dominic.

The door clicked open, making both of them jump.

"There you are. I've been looking for you all day." Abby looked at Dominic, "Have you two been here all day?"

"Yes." "No." Dominic and Isaac said at the same time.

Abby leaned on the doorframe. "So what are you two nerds doing in here anyway that took up all day?"

"Just messing around," Dominic began collecting and hiding things—things that could lead back to Isaac's secret identity.

"Okay, well, are you guys coming to dinner?"

"Yeah," Isaac answered first. "I'm starving." He gave Dominic a comical look, one that you gave your best friend when there was an inside joke.

"Great," Abby skipped ahead to walk with Isaac, her light blonde waves bouncing. "So there's something I have to tell you," Abby's voice grew in seriousness.

Isaac hated to admit it, but he tolerated Abby—liked her, even, but he had to keep her away. No one else could find out what he was. No one would respond like Dominic did. Everyone would think he was a monster. Hell, even Dominic thought that for a while.

Isaac raised an uninterested eyebrow at Abby, "what do you _have_ to tell me?" he mocked.

"Well," she looked consciously behind her at Dominic, who was looking at the floor as he walked. Isaac didn't let this fool him; Dominic was probably listening. "It's Orion. He doesn't like you."

Isaac snorted, "Tell me something I don't know."

"It's just—he can't get this idea out of his head." Abby whispered now. "He thinks you're a spy. He even thinks you're," she laughed, "a vampire. Can you _believe_ that? It's ridiculous. He's going insane."

"Completely," Isaac mumbled. Orion was always suspicious, but now it sounds like something more than a hunch. That will have to change.

"Look, I don't want anything to start between you guys, so if he is offensive in anyway, let me know and I'll try to talk to him. He usually listens to me," Abby huffed and then leaned into Isaac's shoulder. Her warm body radiated heat and he could feel her heart pumping blood thru her veins. Isaac clenched his jaw.

"Thanks." He said quickly, but didn't do anything about Abby; his body stayed against hers. In a strange way, he liked it. His body never felt warmth, although it was somewhat irritating; his body liked the cold.

…

All of them arrived in the dining hall together. Orion was already seated, poking at the brown mush in front of him, with his booted feet resting on the table. Lucile was predictably perched at his side.

As they got in the serving line Isaac noticed they weren't serving their normal food. Abby got hers without a word and went to sit by Orion and then Dominic asked, "What _is_ this, Gregory?" Dominic groaned, jiggling the sludge.

Isaac presumed that Gregory was the cook, who was also the man behind the counter. He had an orange beard and his mouth was in a tight line. He leaned closer to talk. "That's rehydrated food that is used in emergency situations."

"There's an emergency?" Isaac asked, slightly interested.

"One of the cattle was destroyed. Looks like a vamp got to it ripped it to shreds too. The food is just a precaution." Gregory pointed his thumb behind him, "The boys are checking everything out and making sure the food is still safe."

"Hmm," Dominic and Isaac looked at each and walked away.

"Something of your doing I suppose," Dominic guessed.

"Why do you think I was puking? Bulimic vampire? The blood was poison."

"Are you crazy?" Dominic stopped walking, but was still talking in a hushed voice. "You could have infected all of us."

"Then why do you think I killed it?"

Dominic glared at Isaac, "just stick to the blood in the lab from now on, okay?"

"No argument there; it tastes a hell of a lot better too. Why do you have all of that blood anyway?" Isaac asked.

"Incase anyone get's hurt and need blood; people donate it."

. . .

Dominic and Isaac joined Orion and Abby the table. There was small talk, but Isaac didn't really listen he was too busy watching Orion watch him. Orion was very suspicious, apparently so was Lucile because she cawed loudly at Isaac. "Stupid bird," Isaac muttered.

"Aren't you going to eat your dinner, Isaac?" Orion faked politeness. He was sharpening his hunting knife on the metal edge of the table. _Shink. Shink._

"This," Isaac picked up the plate, "should not be eaten by any living being"

Orion just smiled. "Hey it's not that bad," Abby chimed in.

"I'd rather not take my chances." Isaac shoved the plate forward. Orion was testing him; Isaac knew it. If he wanted to fight, Isaac would fight.

Orion kept sharpening his knife as he stared at Isaac. He was reminded of predator and prey. Apparently Isaac needs to show Orion who the real predator was.

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Dinner, in one word, could be described as tense. With Orion staring down Isaac he was forced to eat that horrible sludge. Isaac could barely even stomach the "normal" tasting food. He was sure this wouldn't sit well with him either.

Pushing down whatever sickness was about to come, Isaac stood up. "I'm going to bed," he stated and left before anyone could comment. Of course, he wasn't actually going to do that; he was following Orion, who had left no more than ten minutes ago. It was easy to track him, really. Isaac could follow his scent. Metal, dirt, mint, and of course: blood. O positive. The most common and Isaac's favorite.

Isaac walked up the stairs and down the hall to the boy's quarters. Isaac had already passed his room and continued walking down the hall to Orion's room where the scent had stopped.

Isaac grabbed the knob and twisted. The room was just like his with concrete walls, a table and a bed with a single dresser. There was a pile of clothes near the bathroom that hadn't quite made it to the hamper. Lucile cawed, startling Isaac, "stupid bird," he muttered under his breath. She was on a stand, free to fly, but she stayed there, cawing and opening her wings.

"She's extraordinarily smart actually," Orion came out of his bathroom with wet hair and a change of clothes, although all of his outfits look similar. "I trained her myself. She's a bird of prey. A hunter. A predator."

Isaac smirked, "like you?" He had been inspecting, without touching, all of the weapons that had been splayed across the one table in the bedroom. Orion picked up one of his knives. It had a black handle with razor edges, like shark's teeth. Its shiny surface gleamed in the light. "I believe I was a hunter from the day I was born, that's why I'm so good at it." Orion paused, "I know what you are. I know what you are because I'm a good hunter." He dragged the tip of the knife across the surface of the wooden table, carving an unnervingly straight line.

"And what is that?" Isaac asked smugly. "A hunter?" Isaac thought about challenging Orion, telling him what he really was—playing cat and mouse, but Isaac decided against it. Orion could come up with all of the stories he wanted, but without any truth they were just that: stories. No one would believe him. They would think isolation and internment in this building drove him mad. "I _was_ pretty good at fighting off those vampires wasn't I?" Isaac smiled.

"I suppose,"

"You and I are alike. I have to admit; I never thought I had it in me, to _hunt_ like that. The adrenaline rush was like no other,"

"Strange. You never felt adrenaline rushes in the city? Begin surrounded by monsters?" Orion questioned.

Isaac gave a quick chuckle. Orion was smart, he had to give him that.

"Well," Isaac walked around the room as he rambled on, not paying much attention to what he was saying. To him, it was all nonsense. Isaac didn't have time to worry about Orion. Hopefully, whatever mindless monologue he was giving Orion would hold him over for a little bit.

As Isaac talked he heard a swift swooshing noise. At first, he was unable to comprehend what the noise was, but he quickly realized. It was his supernatural senses at work; he was hearing the knife flying through the air toward him. Using his vampire speed, he spun around with time to spare, and caught the knife just before it plunged into his left shoulder.

Then, his face went slack with realization of what had just happened. It was a test. _Orion was testing me—that bastard. I should have just let the weapon injure me and fake the injury for a week or two_, but Isaac's vampire senses seemed to have worked for him on a mind of their own. Survival instincts. Fight or flight. _More like they worked _against_ me, _he thought.

"You know what I always wondered," Orion began, closing the space between him and Isaac. "How are you able to look like us. All the rest of the monsters look like—well—monsters. Demons. Malicious creatures that live in the shadows,"

Orion plucked the knife out of Isaac's tight grip. Isaac didn't respond to the question; his lips stayed in a tight line and his eyes fixated on the boy. _I will not kill him. I will not kill him. I will not kill him. _Isaac could feel the ache of his fangs wanting to reappear, wanting to tear flesh.

"What's going on in here?" A curious voice asked. It was Dominic. Isaac had a feeling that Dominic didn't wander into Orion's room on accident, but rather he came here to check on Isaac and Orion, making sure no blood was spilled.

"Nothing," Orion answered first, smiling. "Just a little fun."

"Well, play time is over. Isaac, we have to go back to work." Dominic stuck his hands into the pockets of his black pants.

"What work?" Orion inquired.

"He's just showing me some things with the security cameras. We both figured there should be more people watching the screens. That way we all get more sleep." Isaac lied.

"Hmm," Orion hummed. Lucile cawed once more, but quieter this time, like she was coaxing Orion to let it go. "Have fun," he raised his eyebrows and they two boys left.

"I'm starting to feel awfully parent-like, tonight. I really thought you would be more responsible." Dominic whispered as they passed a few other strangers.

"Orion knows what I am." Isaac said curtly.

"Yeah, I overheard Abby" Dominic sighed, realized the problem at hand. "I've known Orion a lot longer than you have so I know that he will let this go if he doesn't get any proof. Just don't give him anything to run off of and we will be fine." Dominic explained.

"Fine, maybe I'll talk to Abby too. Just in case." Isaac didn't want Dominic to know what happened, that he had done exactly what Dominic said not to. "She'll know what to do. She trusts me." Isaac said with triumph.

"Don't make her regret it." Dominic threatened and parted way with Isaac to go to the lab while Isaac went to find Abby. Neither of them went to the security room.

…

It was getting late, so the amount of activity in the hallway was minimal, so as Isaac made mistake after mistake in the maze of a hallway, he wasn't embarrassed. Finally he reached the room she was in. It smelled like peaches, and B negative—a rare blood type. Isaac loved being a vampire. He loved that he could move, see, hear, smell, taste, and feel like no human being, but hated when his senses worked against him, like they seemed to be doing tonight. Though the door he could hear Abby's steady heartbeat. It made his mouth water.

_Focus_, he reminded himself. His stomach churned. It was hungry for a real meal, not the human mush that didn't seem to settle right. _Not now._

Isaac raised his pale hand and knocked a few times on the door. Abby opened it wearing a revealing grey tank top and purple striped pajama pants. "Isaac?" she questioned, her pale eyebrows creasing.

"Hey," Isaac tried not to look at her throat, where he could practically see the pulse of her veins rising and falling against her skin. "Can we talk?"

She raked her fingers through her blonde hair. "Sure." She moved aside to let him in. "What do you want to talk about?" She ended up leaning against the metal headboard of the bed while Isaac sat on the end. She curled her legs up to her chest.

Isaac needed to get people on his side. He really did mean them no harm—meaning: he wouldn't kill them. He wanted to turn them into the city, but in order to do that he needed help from his clan (which wasn't coming) and to gain the human's trust. Plus, it looked like Isaac may be here for a while. Until he could find a way to cleverly disappear without having anyone send out a search party, he needed a plan if he was going to stay here and if he was going to stay here, that means he is going to have to keep his secret longer and Orion was spoiling that. The more people that he could get to trust and believe _him_, rather than Orion, the better.

In every scenario, it looked like he had to keep getting people to trust him, and he would do whatever it took to get people to trust him, starting with Abby. "Orion confronted me after dinner."

She exhaled like she had heard this story before. "What happened? What did he do?"

"He just told me what was on his mind and I told him he was wrong. I don't understand how he thinks I could be a vampire."

"Yeah, your hazel eyes are terrifying." She joked which made Isaac smile. "Oh and look at those fangs!"

Isaac quickly shut him mouth afraid of the all too real possibility of his fangs protruding his canines. He _was_ hungry.

"What is it?" Abby asked lightly.

"Nothing," What was Isaac supposed to say? That he was afraid of his fangs showing? He quickly came up with a lie. "My brother," he said. The story he had made up was a good one; it targeted the human's emotions so perfectly—that his brother died trying to protect him from vampires.

"I'm sorry," Abby spoke. "I remember my first day of all of this. I dream about it almost all of the time."

"What happened?" Isaac scooted closer. Humans liked that—intimacy. It was a sign of mutual trust.

"I was at my sister's wedding when it all happened. I went inside for a break and it only took one vampire to set it all off," her voice broke. "There was so much blood." Her hands shook slightly. "My whole family was there and I lost them all. I was so scared; it was the first time I ever saw a vampire. I had never seen anything so… _vicious_."

Isaac tried to conjure up stories to help him seem human, but he couldn't. Isaac couldn't remember anything from his human life. All he knew was he was a doctor, or training to be one because once he fell into that position in the city it _felt _right. Studying blood was what he did now. Sometimes he would help harvest the humans, but that was rare. Still, he thought maybe that was why he was more stable around humans—because he was around it before his transformation.

Eventually he was able to come up with a more detailed description of what happened with his 'brother'. "My brother and I stayed in this storage closet in the farming building. We figured it was the best spot to hide because the vamps wouldn't be able to tell our heartbeats from the captured humans."

"I give you guys credit. I would be terrified."

"We were," Isaac faked a breath. "Everyday we wondered if it would be our last. Our whole family was gone. We kept each other safe, until they found us. It was a janitor, I think, that first found us. He snarled, bit at us and we were fortunate to have mops and brooms in that storage area because we used them as stakes. And then we ran out here, to the desert. We figured if we ran far and long enough in the desert, the sun would come up and destroy whoever was following us. Unfortunately, we didn't get a very good head start." Isaac muttered under his breath, "_Damn_, they're fast."

"I know. It's horrifying." Abby shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, by the time we saw this building on the horizon, they were on our tails. That's when my brother told me to go. We both knew only one of us could make it. He was always looking out for me. I'm the youngest… and the last." Isaac paused for effect. He looked up at Abby and could see her eyes watering. _At least something is going right tonight. _"His sacrifice was enough to hold them off until I reached this place. I didn't know if anyone was even here. I thought I was dead. And then, they stopped attacking. They must've run off before sunrise."

"Count your blessings. I'm surprised they care more about their safety than feeding. I've never seen a vamp give up fresh blood like that. You truly are lucky." Abby's smile was bright. She had beautiful white teeth and plump pink lips. Her skin was tanned and somewhat sunburned. She looked like someone who had faced the elements. "Orion is just being a jerk. What you went though is _awful_. We all went through it and for him to say you're a liar and a spy—" she cut off frustrated by her own words.

Then what Isaac did next was a mixture of instinct and instruction. He kissed her. He was just doing what he was told: getting the humans close, gaining their trust, but something about this kiss felt _right_. He liked the feeling of her soft lips against his. He like being close to her, smelling her scent of sweet sugar and blood.

He pressed his lips to hers, cupped his hand around her neck and pulled her close. She didn't resist and arched her back into Isaac, pushing their chests together, her hands exploring the hem of his shirt. Isaac gave off a faint moan as Abby's warm bare hands touched his skin. He thought he felt her stiffen from his cool temperature, but he could have been imagining things. Oh how he loved that he could feel her pulse through her hands.

Her heart continued racing and she sucked in breaths when she pulled away from Isaac's mouth, licking her lips quickly, not making eye contact. "I—" she started. She pushed her pale hair behind her ear.

Isaac lifted her chin, forcing her to make eye contact. He wondered if she was suspicious of his cool skin. "Are you sorry?" he said softly.

It took her a moment to respond before her lips curved into a smile, "No,"

Isaac matched her smile, "then neither am I."

He stood up from the bed, turned on his heels and walked out of her bedroom, feeling successful. She felt attached to him that much was confirmed, and yet he couldn't help but feel guilt. He _was_ using her after all, but he shouldn't _feel_ guilt. He shouldn't feel anything for a human except for hunger.

Pushing the thoughts away, Isaac walked to his room so he could finally rest. It had been a long day.

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	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Day after day, Isaac continued the same pattern. Dominic and he would do tests—without much result—he would pretend to be human in some way, and then he would spend time with Abby. It was strange how easy pretending had become. Being human was no longer a second skin or a mask; it was who he was. The people had become his friends rather than potential meals. Sometimes Isaac's hunger would come at random times, shocking him. Just the other night his hunger crept up on him.

He and Abby had been talking. "What do you think of them? The vampires, I mean," he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders, "The same as everyone else I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there isn't a night that goes by that I don't have nightmares about it. It's always the same. First, I'm at the wedding again, witnessing that bloody massacre and then one of them gets me and bites my neck. I wake up in cold sweats, clutching my neck. The dreams always feel so real. I—" She paused. "I don't think I've had a good night sleep since this all happened."

"So you're…scared of them?" Isaac asked hesitantly. He and Abby _had_ been spending time together, and even though he was only there to gain her trust, he had begun to like their 'meetings' and it was always awkward when the subject of vampires came up.

She looked around then, as if uncomfortable from the question. "I—yeah, but don't tell anyone. I'll go out and hunt those things but it scares the hell out of me. Yeah, I'll put on a mask and fight off those things, but I like it here. We are so far away and safe from them. But it's only a matter of time. They are going to get suspicious and wander out here one night." Abby stared blankly ahead as if she were watching a scene unfold in front of her. "I can't even fathom what happens to those humans in the city." She looked curiously at Isaac, "Did you ever see the humans? When you were in the city, I mean."

"No." Isaac replied quickly. It was no use filling Abby with terror when he was trying to get close with her.

"What do you think it's like?" she asked.

"I would guess the humans—"

"No," Abby said, quieter now "being a vampire."

"Oh,"

Abby started to lay down, resting her head on Isaac's chest, but he quickly had to readjust because he feared she would notice there was no rhythmic beating in his chest. Abby and he had been lying on her bed night after night, just talking. Most of the time Isaac came up with lies that held some truth, but right now, Isaac wondered if he should tell Abby about life as a vampire. He wouldn't actually be telling her the truth; she would think it was all speculations, but still…

"I imagine," Abby piped in, breaking the silence Isaac had created. "That it is chaotic. Always being hungry for blood, the violence, and the powers. I think it would be too much to take in at once. It would be _so_ different than being human."

"but they can't remember what it's like being human," Isaac said. He and Abby were leaning against the bedpost now. It was made of hard iron and squeaked when they adjusted their bodies. This place wasn't glamorous in the least bit, but nothing about this world was anymore.

"I think that would be the worst part. Not remembering anything. Just waking up with… nothing,"

"Nothing but hunger," Isaac recalled and quickly stopped talking. She looked over at him.

"They just go back to their primal instincts don't they? You've been closer than I have and we both know you fight them off better, you would know more about them. All they function off of his their desire for blood, isn't it?"

_And ripping the warm flesh from your neck to get at it, _Isaac said silently, his mouth filling with saliva. He blinked a few times to regain composure.

"I can't imagine," Abby repeated, picking at the dirt under her cracked nails.

"Are you afraid for the future? Are you afraid of being turned?" Isaac asked.

Abby thought about it for a while and finally responded. "No. Whatever comes, will come and I'll fight through it, just like I have with the rest of my life. And if I'm turned, well I won't know any different will I?"

Isaac thought for a moment. What had he been like when he was human? Had he had these feelings before he was turned? Was he afraid? What was his life like? Who did he know?

It was true, he didn't remember his human life, but he had seen pictures and records of what he had done. He was training to be a doctor. Sometimes Isaac would even get quick flashes of memory here and there, but he couldn't remember any feelings or thoughts.

Before his and Abby's conversations, Isaac never considered himself a bad person. He had killed before, but it was to feed. In this world, it was survival of the fittest and as much as he was concerned, vampires were the fittest. Humans were insignificant and were only a source of blood. He never knew how wrong he was and now that he knew, he hated that part of him.

Before his mind could wander much farther, he felt a hot pressure on his lips. His sharp eyebrows raised in surprise. Abby was kissing him. Her eyes were shut and she was close enough that Isaac could make out the pale lashes on her closed eyelids.

Isaac moved his hand to cup her cheek, her neck, and then lower and lower down her back. She moved so that she was sitting on her knees and pushing against him.

Her kisses moved south to his neck and he let out a sigh. Being a vampire meant everything Isaac felt was super sensitive, so when Abby kissed and licked the sensitive skin near his jaw; it felt _really_ good. He wanted more.

He grabbed her by her hips and rolled on top of her, not entirely gently, but she didn't seem to mind. His body straddled hers as they continued their embrace. Abby's hands traveled up Isaac's shirt, eventually pulling it off.

Isaac loved the feeling of her hot lips against his. They were such opposites, hot and cold, good and evil. He could feel the pulse of her body beating under his and all he wanted was to be closer and closer to her. Feeling the life in her, the life Isaac didn't have, made him want her, all of her. He pushed his lips harder against her and her heart started racing, her breath increasing.

It was only because Isaac's tongue was exploring Abby's that he realized that his fangs were out. He quickly sat up and rolled off of Abby. He was now sitting on the edge of the bed with his back facing her. A warm hand caressed his shoulder. "What's wrong?" Abby asked. Isaac could feel her pulse through her hand and he jerked away. His throat ached, reminding him of how hungry he was. His stomach felt hallow. Now that he realized how hungry he really was, it was terribly agonizing. His mind flashed to a painful memory and he squeezed his eye together. He could barely speak. "I—" he grabbed his shirt and made sure that his mouth was covered. He couldn't retract his fangs like he normally would be able to because he was so hungry. "I have to go. I'm sorry. I—" he could barely speak. If he stayed in this room—this room that smelled sizably like a human, he realized—much longer he would do something that he would regret and potentially get him killed.

Without waiting for Abby to respond, he left the room.

. . .

As Isaac made his way down the hall, he pulled his shirt over his head. He rushed back to his room and luckily didn't pass a soul. He and Abby stayed up this late most nights, so it didn't surprise him that the halls were so empty.

Isaac made it to his room in record time and locked all of the doors. In the drawer, under the sink, he pulled out two blood packets. Dominic had allowed him to keep a few in his room for emergencies just like this one. Isaac began sucking down the first packet and immediately found relief. Even after both of them were gone, he felt a sort of high. He found it was extremely easy to fall asleep.

. . .

"_Get up," the voice hissed. It was muffled from the helmet that was covering its head. _

_Isaac looked up. The vampire was tall and wore a white plastic suit with a matching helmet. Isaac's memory was fuzzy from the beating but he was sure they wore them because they can't smell the blood in them. _They wear them while they train me_._

_Isaac got up limply. He was starving, and his body was not functioning properly; it was slow and it felt like his joints were creaky. _

_Teasingly, the trainer dropped a speck of blood in front of Isaac, but just out of reach—Isaac was shackled. The scent of the blood hit Isaac hard and he pulled fervently at the chains. He hissed and snapped his teeth, driven feral at the scent. _

_A harsh electric shock coursed thru Isaac and he let out a dreadful howl._

"_Do. NOT. Let your hunger control you! Control it." The trainer yelled. If it was that easy, why did the trainer have to wear that scent-expelling suit? "You will NOT give in. You will NOT let them find out! Do you hear me, Isaac!?"_

"Isaac?" A voice snapped him back to reality. Isaac was lying in his bed with the covers just below his waist and untidy like he had been kicking while dreaming.

"W-What?" Isaac fought drowsiness as he opened his eyes.

Dominic was kneeling at the edge of Isaac's bed, his hand was on Isaac's shoulder, but we quickly drew back when Isaac opened his eyes. Dominic muttered something under his breath. "You are damn lucky that I woke you up and no one else did."

Still confused, Isaac asked again, "What?"

"Your eyes, your fangs," Dominic tilted his head and a small grin appeared "and the drool."

Isaac quickly wiped off the liquid from his mouth with his wrist, retracted his fangs, and changed his eyes. "Well, I can't do anything about it while I'm sleeping."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm mean it's like I have to suck in my stomach all the time. It's hard to hold it the whole time." Isaac let his legs hang over the side of the bed and he rubbed his temples. "Why did you wake me up?"

"You've gotta see this," Dominic said with excitement as he helped Isaac get up so he could follow him to the lab. With a groan, Isaac followed.

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**sorry for the wait.. hope you liked this one.. stay tuned for the next chapter because it's about to get exciting :)**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	10. Chapter 10

**sorry for taking a long time to update, but i started a second fanfic in the TMI fandom called "Truth be told" (check it out if you like city of bones) so it's hard for me to update two different ones.. but no worries because i WILL keep the updates coming :)**

**i hope you like this chapter.. the beginning is a filler-ish because i had to get to the drama at the end without having a really short chapter ;D**

**ENJOY and REVIEW!**

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Chapter 10:

After Isaac left, I tried to go back to bed, but I was restless. I laid on my back, my side, my stomach, but nothing could bring on sleep. There were too many questions running through my head. Why did he leave so suddenly? Was it something I did? Something I said? Does he not feel the same way I do?

Our late night meetings were starting to grow on me and so was he. He treated me like a delicate creature, like he was afraid I would break under his touch. I loved being close to him, kissing him. Even though I always felt safe with Orion, there was a different kind of safe with Isaac.

I got up and paced the floor. God, I wish my sister were here. We always used to talk about boys, but everything's changed now.

I sat back on the end of my bed and then collapsed backward, bouncing on the mattress slightly. I shut my eyes and I felt warm tears fall down my cheeks as I fell asleep.

…

Once I woke up, I realized something was different. I looked around—same room. I looked at my clothes—same clothes. At first I didn't realize, but I didn't have my nightmare. I remember Isaac and I talking about it, but I didn't have it. This was the first time in a long time that I actually slept well. My luck must be changing.

I sat up as I stretched. Man, who knew what a good night's sleep could do. I walked over to my bathroom mirror and tamed my hair, changed into jeans and a plain tee shirt, and left to go to the security room. Today was taking over the morning shift, plus I felt bad about how separated Dominic and I had been lately. If I was watching the cameras then he was in the lab, if he was watching the cameras then I was talking with Isaac. But this morning we agreed to work together. We needed to catch up.

I shut my door, locking it, and made my way down the hallways. I decided, as I got closer to the boy's rooms, that I was going to stop by Isaac's room and demand to know what happened last night and see if I could make the situation any better.

There were locks that separated the boy's and girl's hallways and a code was needed to get into each. Of course, since my best friend designed all the codes, I knew them all. I quickly punched in the four-digit combination, the door beeped and the locks slid away with a click.

Since it was still early in the morning, the hallways were dead, and my boots echoed in the silence. I was lucky not to see anyone, which saved me from an awkward explanation.

I found Isaac's room and knocked. No answer. I knocked again. Nothing. "Isaac?" I knocked. No response. "Hmmm," I hummed to myself. Out of curiosity, I twisted the knob; it opened, but no one was inside. The lights were off. "Isaac?" I called out as I walked inside.

His bed was messy, clothes were on the floor, and the faucet in the bathroom was dripping. _Ugh_, I rolled my eyes. I hate when those things leak. It's not like we have extra water to waste.

I walked over to the bathroom to turn it off and when I reached out to twist the knob, something caught my eye. Smeared blood. _Maybe he cut himself shaving_, I thought, but I don't remember seeing any cut. _What if he got in a fight? What if he hurt someone?_ I shook my head and let it hang, bringing my hands up to my forehead, putting pressure on my temples. I was making a big deal out of something small. I laughed at myself. Isaac didn't do anything wrong. I know that. He's good.

When I opened my eyes, I was looking at the ground and the garbage can, but that's not why it caught my eye. It was a normal black trashcan with a few tissues inside it, but it was the empty blood bag that caught my attention. "What the hell?" I said out loud.

I moved the tissues out of the way, which seemed to be placed to try to hide the bag. Why would someone need to hide this? Other people may suspect the worst, but I know Isaac. Isaac's not one of them. I know it. Still, I am going to demand an explanation.

I grabbed the bag in my hand and headed to the security room. If anything, I could ask Dominic if he knew something, if he noticed any blood bags missing. He was one of the only people that had access to the hospital supplies. So any in and out access went through him.

I practically stomped my way down the hallway—scared, worried and a little bit angry—bumping into people as I went along, but I eventually made it to the security room in one piece.

I swung open the doors dramatically and walked in. _Two_ heads turned around to look at me. Dominic and Isaac. Dominic was at the control panel and Isaac had his hands flattened against the counter top. They were both, before I came in, watching the screens intently. Dominic hastily turned off the screen.

"Hey," he smiled and spun in his chair. He put his arms behind his head.

"Did you," I paused to look at Isaac, inspecting him. Was there something I was missing about him? He had a soft smile playing on his lips, but his brow was furrowed before. He and Dominic were hiding something. "Did you replace me?"

"No," Dominic looked at Isaac, realizing that that's exactly what it looked like. "No, I just, had to show him something real quick."

"Oh, well, are you guys done?"

"Yeah," Dominic looked at the blank screen. "We just finished up," They shared a look.

"Great, I can escort Isaac out. I need to talk to him anyways." I smiled.

"Sure," Isaac replied and walked toward me with his hands in his pockets. I shut the door behind us. "If this is about last night,"

"Not entirely,"

"I'm sorry. There are just things that—"

I held out the blood bag. "What's this?"

Isaac's face went slack when he saw the empty bag. "Where'd you get that?"

"Does it matter? Why do you have it?"

Isaac took the bag from me. "Did you go through my room?" Isaac's voice grew with anger. I could see him grit his teeth and shut his eyes. His jaw was clenched as he tried to take centering breaths. He looked genuinely angry. I've never seen him get mad like this before.

I reached out to tenderly touch his arm. As soon as I touched him, an alarm went off. Literally. It buzzed around the hard walls. White lights flashes methodically through the halls. _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

His head jerked up, "What is that for?" He had to yell over the loud noise.

My heart sank. I knew what it was. I was trained for this type of emergency—the _worst _type of emergency. "It's the vampire alarm."

"What?" he yelled, covering his ears.

"It means there is a vampire in the compound!"

Dominic came through the doors with a concerned look on his face. He looked pale. "They got in," he said more to Isaac than to me.

"What? _Who _got inside?" I questioned, but no one would respond to me.

"Take Abby and go somewhere safe. I'll find them," Isaac called out.

"But," Dominic tried.

"Go!" Isaac yelled and started to run down the hallway. Dominic pulled my wrist. "Come on we need to go to the cafeteria. That's where the cages will be set up."

I pulled against Dominic, stopping him. He looked back with a worried expression.

"Tell me what the hell is going on."

Dominic sighed, "I can't explain now. It's not safe here."

"Dominic, what's wrong?"

Of course, he didn't offer an explanation, but kept pulling to the cafeteria. When the vampire alarm went off it was programmed to set off bars that came down creating a cage around the cafeteria, leaving an open space in the middle. The bars fell from the over hang which made the cage into a track-like shape. The bars were made out of the same indestructible metal that the outside was made out of. The bars were also coated in a handful of herbs. Some vampires don't like the smell so they stay away, but if there are humans behind the bars, teasing them, who knows what will happen?

Practically the whole compound was gathered in the small rectangular space creating a din of conversations. The sounding alarm was off now. I could see people I knew across the room, that woman that has the twins. She was holding them close; they had tears running down their faces. I wish I could hold on to my mother right now.

Orion met up with us then. He had a handgun in a holster, and another large gun strapped to his back, a knife in his hand and one strapped to his belt. He also had a series of stakes in a backpack that he laid on the ground.

"Dom—?" I started, but was cut off. There was a loud bang followed by a metal sheet falling to the ground. Several people screamed, but I could only stay silent. There was a bulge forming in my throat, cutting off my vocal chords from fear. _It this really happening? _ So many nights I laid awake in fear of this event. So many times I cried over fear of dying like my family, of dying by the hands of a monster.

A single body dropped from above, landing with ease. The boy had blonde hair, red eyes and fangs. He smiled cruelly. The hairs on my arm stood on end. "How nice of you to set up a buffet for us. How nice for you all to be in one place." The vampire seemed to drag out the "s" sound of the words. He sounded like a snake.

Two other vampires dropped down and walked along the bars like lions in a cage, staring fiercely at their prey. The first vampire walked closer to the bars and his upper lip curled immediately, but he kept walking forward anyway. He touched the bar with his finger, picking up the scent. "Cute trick, but it seems like abnormality and tolerance runs in the family," He locked eyes with me, seeming to have noticed me for the first time. I'm sure I had a scowl on my face, but I wasn't certain. "And who are we?" he asked, coming uncomfortably close to the bars. I tried not to step back. I tried not to show him my fear, but he seemed to pick up on it because he chuckled wickedly. I could hear Orion growl next to me. He was tense and ready to fight. "I don't understand how my brother could stand himself," the vampire leaned closer and spoke softer. "Between you and me, I never thought Isaac had it in him."

"Riley!" a familiar voice shouted. The sounded echoed in the hard, silent room.

The vampire snapped his head around. "Brother!" he opened his arms. "This is a good place. I can't believe _you_ found it."

I thought before was a good time to panic, but now was a good time as any. My heart dropped when I saw Isaac standing in the middle of the room.

"What are you doing here, Riley?" Isaac responded with his teeth clenched. This must be Isaac's brother, _but Isaac said his brother died_. The boy looked a lot like Isaac despite his light hair and vampire features. Isaac had hazel eyes and flat human teeth, not red eyes or fangs, but the angles in their faces were similar. So if this was Isaac's brother (who didn't die?) was this the same one? Did he end up turning? But it seems as if Isaac isn't surprised to see his brother. Things weren't just adding up.

I'm starting to think there are a lot of things that Isaac lied about.

"You said you'd share the winnings, so we're just here to pick up our prizes." The blonde vampire, Riley, turned towards me again, smiling. His smile was nothing but cold and sinister.

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" I sneered.

Riley jerked his head at one of his vampire minions and they seized Isaac, putting him in a chokehold. Isaac's legs flailed as scratched at the powerful arm holding him tight. Riley spoke up, "You really fooled them didn't you. They _actually_ believe you're a human. What stories did you make up to make them believe you?" Riley turned to me again. "I guess humans are as stupid as we thought," Riley turned to the vampire that was holding Isaac. "Show them," he ordered as he turned around. He started pacing around Isaac.

The vampire's muscles tightened around Isaac's neck that made Isaac make even more choking noises. I couldn't watch.

"Stop," I thought I yelled it, but it only came out as a soft whisper. The vampire kept going. He used his other hand to grasp Isaac's jaw, prying it open, and squeezing. Isaac groaned and kicked his legs more. As the vampire squeezed, something happened. Isaac's teeth changed; fangs grew. _Fangs._

The vampire pulled Isaac up just enough to punch him directly in the jaw. Isaac crumpled to the ground. When Isaac pulled himself up, he looked at me, and his eyes were red.

_Isaac was a vampire. _How could I not have seen it? My knees felt weak. My palms began to sweat. My heart beat faster. Everything was from sheer terror. It explained everything. Orion's suspicions, Isaac's strange behavior, the blood bag… My mind raced: Orion had been right this whole time; Isaac could have killed me; how much of what he told me had been lies?

"It's a neat trick, huh? Isaac here is the only one that seems to be able to change his looks." Riley spoke up. "It's seems to have fooled _you_." Riley leaned on the bars, gripping his hands around them. He leaned in as far as he could. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest, and not in a good way. "Listen to your heart. I can hear it beat faster now and _damn_, it makes me hungry." he asked. "What's making your hair stand up on end, your palms sweat, and your heart race? I can hear your breath catch in your chest like it's a wild thing that's caged. What are you _really_ afraid of? Are you afraid of the dark? The boogie monster? Are you afraid of losing your precious human memories? Or is it something more? Is it me? Is it Isaac? Are you afraid of what you might become? A dark, soulless, blood thirsty monster?"

"Stop!" Isaac yelled. I could barely look at him. He was a vampire. A horrible, lying, bloodsucking monster. He ran at Riley with inhuman speed, grabbed him by the shoulder and slammed him against the bars with ferocious force. Isaac spoke through gritted teeth. I sucked in a little breath as I saw his fangs again. "You're not getting anywhere torturing her, and you never will. These bars are indestructible. You can't get to the humans."

"Is that one of the tricks you learned about from them?" Riley asked calmly, not seeming to mind that he was being beat.

"Yes. It's hopeless and we can't stay here much longer. The sun will be up soon. The best bet is for us to go back to the city. Please, brother, let's not waste our energy. Not today."

He chuckled and mumbled. "They're not so stupid after all." Riley seemed to contemplate Isaac's comment. He growled in annoyance. He knew he couldn't break thorough the bars. He turned his head to look at me, "I'll come back for you, sweetheart."

"And when you do, I will personally put a stake through your heart." Orion grabbed me protectively.

Riley only smiled at the threat and turned. The vampires he came with jumped to the upper level with ease and climbed out the window they had come in. Reluctantly, Riley followed, and then, with a quick glance at Orion, Dominic, and me, Isaac left too.

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**What do you think? A few things will be cleared up by the next chapter. REVIEW PLEASE!**


	11. Chapter 11

**So um, yeah, i was gone for a while. but i will try to update this more often... i also am thinking about starting a new vampire related fic so i hope you all will keep an eye out for that too. sorry this chapter is sort of short. let me know what you think**

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Chapter 11:

I was sitting in my purple bridesmaids dress again. So many nights I was placed back into that dress. It was like a terrible horror movie that was stuck on repeat in my head. The dream always came rushing back in a horrid flood of memories.

I was at my sister's wedding. I went into the lodge, and then I heard screaming. Endless screaming, countless voices, young and old. Right on time, the vampire comes at the door, covered in blood, except this time it is not the same vampire I am used to seeing. It's Isaac.

Dark, fresh blood covers his chin and drips to his chest. His irises are dark red and circled with black. He looks like a sadistic demon. His eyes stare at me with savage hunger. He smiles wickedly, his fangs poking out menacingly while doing so.

He lifts his hand, which is also blood-covered, and presses his palm against the glass on the door. A bloody handprint sticks there as he pushes against the glass. The window is cracking into spider web-like fractures. His grin widens, as he seems to quiver with anticipation.

I see him mouth a word. _Abby. _His smiles turns into predatory intimidation.

He tilts his head to the side, "_Abby, I let you slip through my fingers," _he slammed his fist against the glass, angry now, which cracked it even more. I tried not to, but I flinched. He yelled, "Abby!" Isaac's lips were curled into a snarl as he whispered, _"I'll come back for you, Abby. Abby. Abby. You won't get away next time, Abby." _He kept calling my name.

A persistent tapping on my shoulder was what finally jolted me awake. Worried blue eyes and black hair were leaning over me on my bed. I pulled the covers back up to my chest to try and get some warmth back. "What do you want, Dominic?" I rolled over so my back was facing him.

"You've been in here for three days. You need to eat or drink or," he paused, "bathe." I glared at him, but said nothing. "Is this about Isaac?" he spoke softly.

I sat up now, infuriated. "Of course it's about Isaac. He played us. He played us the whole time. He got close to find our weak spots. He—" _He kissed me. He made me fall for him._

"He's not like the others." Dominic said slowly.

"Hell yeah, he's not like the others! He's _worse_. He could blend in with us so he could extract secrets." I laughed, but there was little humor. "I think the worst part was that Orion was right the whole time. If we had listened to him none of this would have happened."

"But no one died," Dominic rebutted.

I sat up now. "Are you defending him?" Anger started to crawl into my voice.

Dominic sat up straighter, "Yes, you just have to trust me. Isaac's not—"

"Isaac is exactly what I think he is. He is a bloodsucking, murderous monster. He only came here so he could kill us."

"That's not true,"

"and who told you that? Isaac? You believe him?"

"Yes!" Dominic shouted now. "Look, I know it's strange, and it's really complicated, but he's different. I don't know what other proof you need. He didn't hurt anyone here,"

"No, but he was planning to,"

"No, that's what you're missing, he wasn't. Isaac told me that there were others that would try to come, _which they did, _and he warned me of it." Dominic seemed to stumble and try to find the right words. "Did you know, that up until a week ago, I didn't even have the cafeteria cage set up? Isaac warned me about that attack so we set it up. If it weren't for him, we'd all be dead. That's why we were in the security room when you found us because we were watching them, preparing for their attack." I listened to Dominic's words and wanted to believe them. "Abby, I've known about Isaac pretty much since the day he got here. He'd help me and I'd give him blood. We made a good team, him and I. We've been working together for a cure."

My hands went to his shoulders so that I was looking at Dominic in the eyes. "Are you listening to yourself? He's been draining you. He probably made up all of that stuff just so he could get a meal." I quickly turned Dominic's neck to see if there were any wounds. If there were puncture wounds that means Dominic would turn, but vampires nowadays were crafty. They would use needles knifes to cut the flesh and collect it with something else.

Dominic swatted me away, "I gave him the packets of blood in the lab."

"You did WHAT?" I threw the covers off of me now. "Those are for us. What if one of us gets hurt and needs blood."

"The packets were all expired anyway. If I had given them to anyone, it would have killed them. Think of it as recycling."

"I can't believe you actually helped him." My voice was quiet. _I can't believe both of you lied to me._

"Abby, he's—"

"Stop defending him!" I yelled. "You know, I think you can't accept the fact the Isaac is a killer because you are in love with him." As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them.

"I'm not—I… _Abby!" _Dominic stammered, offended. He gathered a large breath, held it, and let it go. "I came here to try to change your mind about him because I know _you_ are in love with him, and I think it scares the hell out of you so you keep coming up with excuses." Dominic left no time for me to say anything else because as soon as he stopped talking he stomped out and slammed the door.

Frustrated, I took my pillow and threw it out the door that Dominic had just exited.

. . .

When I walked into Orion's room, he was gathering his weapons and putting them in a duffle bag. When he heard the door click shut, Orion turned his head, but only slightly.

"Going somewhere?" I asked.

"I'm going to kill him." Orion did not need to specify who _him_ was.

"You're going to the city! That's a suicide mission."

"As long as I get Isaac first, I don't care what happens to me." He grabbed a handful of stakes and clipped them to his belt.

I blocked his way to the door. "I'm not letting you go there."

"If you are going to give some speech about how I shouldn't do this then save it because I've already made up my mind." Orion pushed me slightly.

"Fine then I'm going with you."

"No," Orion's voice finally held some sort of emotion, and it was anger.

"You'll need someone to watch your back. You don't think I'm capable of fighting them? Well, you taught me all of the fighting I know. You are not going into the city alone. It's with me or not at all; what's your choice?"

Orion raised an eyebrow and gave me his famous _I hate when you're right_ look.

By the time Orion and I reached the garage, Dominic was already inside. He was standing on a ladder, fixing a camera, and he had several wires in his hand. He looked down at us and returned to his work. "Where are you two going?"

"Into the city. Do you know where I put my bow?" He asked to no one in particular and went on a hunt to find it himself.

Dominic walked slowly down the ladder. "Excuse me?"

Dominic and I were on the same page. We both knew it was crazy to go into the city. There were thousands of vampires there and every one of them was craving our blood. I put my hands on my hips, "We are going to find Isaac and his friends and stop any attack from happening."

"You'll be killed before you find them," Dominic said simply, crossing his arms.

Orion, obviously have found his bow, started his jeep.

"I thought you said Isaac wasn't a threat, so we should be okay, right?"

"That doesn't account for all of the other vamps out there." Dominic spread his arms out wide. As if suddenly having an epiphany, Dominic's face changed. "I'm going to prove you wrong."

"What?" I asked as Dominic passed me and headed to the jeep.

"I'm going with you. I'm going to help you find Isaac, and I'm going to prove that he's different once and for all."

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	12. Chapter 12

**here's the new chapter :) sorry for and grammatical errors. Review please!**

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Chapter 12:

We left for the city in the daytime. The vampires tend to stay out of the sun, but if they caught our scent, nothing would stop them from attacking. Thankfully, it wasn't a particularly windy day.

It was an eerie feeling, driving through a giant city—filled with skyscrapers and monorails—but seeing no people. All electronic signs were turned off, no cars moved, no horns were honked; the place was silent. A billboard to the right of me had the picture of what I figured was some sort of geared up police officer pointing at, well, me. It read: _if you spot a human, report it to the Human Collecting Squad_. Below that a tagline read: _collecting humans to save YOU_.

"Ugh," I rolled my eyes. Although I've never been in the city, I didn't want to look around. I was afraid that I would find one of them hiding under a shady bridge, or in the shade of a building, but I never saw a soul.

"_Two hours until sunset_," a mechanical voice read. The sound of it made all of us jump, even Orion.

I looked up to try and see where the voice was coming from and on the tallest skyscraper was a giant digital clock. 1:59:12. Two hours until sunset.

"That's my dad's office. At the very top. It's like he can watch everyone from up there." Dominic commented. He was looking up too, squinting slightly from the setting sun. Neither Orion nor I made a comment about Dominic's father. It was a touchy subject when your father was responsible for almost killing off the entire human race. Dominic kept talking, "The hematology department is on a lower level, and so is the human farming area. That's where Isaac will be. He works there. He's trying to find a blood substitute."

"Then that's the building we will start at." Orion said as he put his foot on that gas and propelled the jeep forward.

The closer we got to actual contact with vampires, the more my nerves acted up. I thought I would be ready for this. I thought that me doing the right thing, going after vampires, would give me courage, but all I could think about was what would happen when we found Isaac. Would I actually be able to kill him? Would he kill me?

The parking garage was empty so we parked on the highest level, closest to the door. Before we went inside we all triple checked out weapons. Stakes, knives, crossbows, they were all there.

Orion led the pack, then me, and Dominic took the back. As we approached the door to the building, we instantly came into an obstacle. A keypad. We needed a code to get in.

"_Shit_," Orion mumbled under his breath. He was already taking off his backpack to search for explosives.

"What? You're going to blow the door open? Like _that _won't attract attention." My voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Will you two shut up. I used to know the code. I watched the guards punch it in when I was escorted in and out of this building. For all we know they haven't changed it."

"Sure because its not like vamps don't try and break into the building where they keep the city's blood supply. They probably change the code every freakin' minute."

"Orion shut the hell up." Dominic's voice had an edge to it that rarely made an appearance.

"It's reverse psychology or whatever," Dominic started punching in an obscenely long code, "never change that pass code, but just make people think it's changed. While they spend time trying to hack the system, they set off a trigger the police track them down and arrest them."

Before I knew it a little buzz came from the door and we were in. "I hate to give them credit, but they're smart." Dominic said. "So stay on your toes."

We followed the maze of hallways and signs that said they were leading us to the hematology department, but the maze seemed endless. Quietly as we could, we bickered which way we should take—not the best planned out attack, in my opinion. During all of our bickering, the elevator bell rang. All of instantly tensed up, shut up, and waited.

_Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. _My mind cursed over and over again. I'm sure my heart was beating loud enough for the entire city to hear. I could picture people impatiently waiting at their home, anxious for sunset, drooling. Maybe they wouldn't risk their life by going out into the sun, but they sure as hell would find me if I didn't calm down.

The elevators opened and out stepped a man with blonde hair, mid-twenties, in a white lab coat. His eyes were looking down and a clipboard of papers, but I could still see that they were red and black. I didn't see his fangs until he noticed us and his mouth opened into a surprised "O". He looked around for a moment like he was the one who was caught and not us. "Oh no." he said as he sniffed the air, taking in our scent. He sounded almost human. If I were to close my eyes I would have believed he was human, but I didn't dare take my eyes off of him. I gripped the stake in my hand.

Orion was the first to lunge forward and attack. The vampire effortlessly fought Orion to the floor and held him in a chokehold. Orion clawed fruitlessly at the steel grip that pinned him to the wall until he could no longer fight back. The vampire growled slightly, but didn't seem as feral as other vampires.

Dominic and I both attacked now, Dominic with his knife and me with my wooden stake. The blonde vampire tripped Dominic and sent him flying to the floor. I could see now that both of the boys were collapsed on the floor. I was on my own.

As the vampire came closer, I swung the stake. The vampire jerked back. "Stay back!" my voice quivered slightly, showing my fear. I stabbed forward again, but this time the vampire took the stake from my hands. I was weaponless.

He took his hand and easily gripped them around my neck, choking me the same way he choked Orion. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. What was the use anyway? Who would save me? People wouldn't come to save me; they would come to _eat_ me.

Soon enough, black started to crawl into my vision. My lips formed the word "_no_," but only broken air came out.

My vision went completely black, and I passed out.

. . .

It was hard for me to put together facts, but this is what I knew now. I heard a lot of whispers. When I opened my eyes, the lights were bright and white. My vision was blurred. My head hurt like a bitch and it felt like I had spent the last year eating nothing but steel wool.

When I tried to sit up the voices stopped talking. Except for one. "Give her room," it said.

Feet shuffling.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked. "Jackson said he tried not to hurt you, but you attacked first."

As I came to, I could see a figure kneeling by me. It was a woman, possibly in her 50's with graying hair. She had wrinkles and baggy clothes on; in fact, all of the people that surrounded me had the same clothes on. The looked like hospital scrubs except they were white. However, I was still in my own clothes.

There was another thing I noticed. They were all female. They were all human. Every single one.

"My friends—" I started.

"Are probably in the male facility. They're safe there." The older woman who was talking had a soothing voice. "They like to keep us separate. You know, so nothing happens. If they want us to procreate they assign us a time, a place, and a partner,"

I shook my head, "I don't understand," I looked around wildly. "What is this place?"

"It's okay. You're safe here." She repeated. She held out a hand for me to grab and she helped me stand.

"Where is here?" I asked cautiously, but was afraid I already knew the answer.

"The human farm." The woman smiled kindly and surprisingly, it comforted me despite me now knowing where I was. "My name is Celine."

Ignoring the imposed prompt to give her my name, I looked around at my new surroundings. I was in a large room; every wall was cement and the ceiling was probably twenty feet high. On one wall, high up, was what looked like a window.

"They watch us from there sometimes," Celine commented. "They make sure were are all healthy and they, of course, make sure that we are all behaving."

I remember one time when I was ten, my mother took me to a fancy seafood restaurant where you could pick out the lobster you wanted to eat for dinner. I felt like a lobster.

As I spun I saw five rows of what looked like half-circle barracks. Celine said that inside were rooms and beds to sleep in.

"You act like this place is good, that nothing will ever get you here, but newsflash, you're in the midst of ALL OF THE VAMPIRES."

"Apart from taking blood, they leave us alone." Celine explained. "Which reminds me," she reached behind her and grabbed a folded pair of white clothes. "They need to assess you."

As if people were waiting, a door opened. From the doorway, two men stepped out in what looked like hazardous material suits, with helmets and everything. By the time I realized they were coming for me it was too late. They were vampires and their grip was impossible to break. They grabbed me under the armpits and pulled me to the door. I kicked into the air fruitlessly.

"It will be all right." Celine called as the metal doors slid shut.

As they continued to drag me through the hallways I screamed, "Let me go!"

The vampires dragged me all the way into a small, separate room where they strapped my wrists and ankles to a dentist-like chair.

They left without a word.

I looked around the room. It looked like this was the area where they took blood. Clear, empty hospital blood bags were stacked on the cupboard. The room looked like a doctor's office, but I'm willing bet they vampires didn't _help_ humans in this room.

Right now, all I wanted was for my heart to stop beating so fast. I wanted to be back at the compound. I wanted to be safe and I wanted Isaac. The Isaac I thought was human; the Isaac I felt safe with.

There was a beeping noise before the door unlocked and opened. I spun my head around only to see my wish come true. Isaac walked through the door.

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